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Firework Safety


Surprisingly, there's not all that many firework safety PSAs - at least not that I, as a Brit, have come across. Considering that we have Bonfire Night, which involves a lot of fireworks, as well as New Years and even holidays like Diwali, I would have imagined we'd have more PSAs aimed at teaching kids and adults not to fuck around with fireworks. Still, there are some PSAs I love that center around firework safety, so here I am to share them with you.


Visit, 1997


This one has everything. Distorted camera. Creepy music. Ominous text that pops up with a Sound Of Doom. The echoing sound of a child screaming and crying. It warns about the dangers of fireworks, how common accidents can be, and to be fair the pained cries of the child we can hear really do sound heartwrenching. We never get a look at the injuries he's suffered - but it's enough to have multiple trauma surgeons surrounding him and operating, so we can imagine it must be pretty bad. Definitely a PSA that would creep you out when it popped up on TV.

Maim, Hurt, and Injure, 2001




I absolutely love this series of adverts. The You Have 5 Seconds campaign is a Dutch campaign, featuring three adverts, which are best watched in order. In each video, you are given a scenario, and given 5 seconds to recognise it - before a firework blows. It brings attention to various parts of firework safety, such as not wearing hoods (so that fireworks cannot get caught in them), and weighing down firework holders (to prevent them falling towards someone). My favourite, though, is Injure - because it truly highlights the unpredictability of fireworks. Although the narrator sets up the usual scenario and begins as if he is about to give the countdown, the firework explodes before he can even begin. This is also the most 'graphic' of the adverts, as instead of cutting away before showing any injury, you instead get to watch the boy reel back and stare down in shock at his hand - where a severed finger dangles from the rest of his hand. The first time I watched this it really got me, and it's stuck with me since as one of my favourites.

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