QLD: Unlicensed fireworks warning for NYE firefighters

AAP General News (Australia)
12-30-1998
QLD: Unlicensed fireworks warning for NYE firefighters

BRISBANE, Dec 30 AAP - Fireworks obtained through a legal loophole earlier this year could
be used for New Year's Eve celebrations with potentially dangerous consequences, firefighters
warned today.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Authority (QFRA) spokesman Graham Metcalf said there was a risk
that skyrockets, flares and other fireworks may have been stockpiled during July and August
before the loophole in the Explosives Act was closed.

Only licensed operators are permitted to use fireworks in Queensland but the loophole had
made it possible for fireworks to be sold more widely on the grounds that they were to be used
in a public display.

"Last year, firefighters attended a number of fireworks-related incidents, and a Gold Coast
apartment fire was caused by a wayward skyrocket," Mr Metcalf said.

"Fireworks were banned from general sale in 1972 because of the tragically high incidence
of injuries, particularly among young children."

A recent research report, Fire Fatalities: Who's at Risk?, found December to be the state's
worst month for fire-related deaths.

"Many of these deaths have been as result of carelessness during the festive season, with
many of those fatalities occurring between Christmas and New Year," Mr Metcalf said.

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KEYWORD: EVE FIRE

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