Fireworks Safety

Take the following precautions if your school is exploring the possibility of using fireworks in a celebration:

• Involve fire safety experts early. Involve local firefighters, your campus fire marshal, facilities and grounds staff, and representatives from the campus office of environmental health and safety. They have valuable safety knowledge on proper fireworks setup and may be able to recommend properly qualified vendors or display operators.
• Consider forwarding event proposals to relevant constituencies on campus for comment. This gives relevant stakeholders an opportunity to identify concerns before your institution finalizes plans.
• Follow your policies about the display of fireworks. Washington University in St Louis’ Fireworks Policy and the University of Virginia’s policy are examples that address fireworks use on campus.
• When selecting viewing locations, follow your applicable fire code and National Fire Protection Association recommendations as to the safe placement of spectators in relation to the type of firework being launched.
• Hire a properly licensed, permitted, or otherwise qualified contractor with experience in handling and setting off the fireworks, as required by applicable law. Have the contractor agree to indemnify your K-12 school, college, or university in the event of an accident. For information on indemnification, refer to Contract Playbook: A Guide to Contracting on Your Campus and Improving Contracting on Campus: Allocating Risks Between Parties.
• Review state and local laws that apply to the display of fireworks, including whether local fire code officials require permits or other approvals. Ensure the contractor follows all compliance obligations.
• Coordinate with the contractor and authority with jurisdiction whether fire, EMS, or fire-watch personnel are required on-site.