Crucial Bonfire Night Safety Tips From Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service

With Bonfire Night not far away, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) is sharing tips to help keep families, neighbours, communities and firefighters safe this Bonfire period.

Do us a favour and help keep you and your community safe this bonfire night, with these top tips:

Take care when lighting fireworks and bonfires. Only adults over the age of 18 should light bonfires and fireworks.

 Never put fireworks in pockets and never throw them. Never return to a firework once it has been lit. Never throw fireworks or aerosols into a bonfire - this could produce toxic fumes and some containers may explode, causing injury.

Ensure sparklers are never given to a child under the age of 5, and always wear gloves. Sparklers should be lit one at a time, and please remember to wear gloves.

Please keep children and pets away from the bonfire. Check that no animals are hiding or kids playing in or around the bonfire before lighting and keep your pets indoors.

Keep your furry friends safe. Fireworks, loud noises, and bright lights can be exciting for humans, but less fun for our four-legged friends! Keep pets inside and close all doors and windows during any firework displays. Please ensure your pets are kept away from candles, naked flames and sparklers.

Do a candle check before leaving the room or consider using LED battery-operated candles instead. LED candles are generally much safer than regular wax candles, will not catch fire due to lack of a flame, and don’t blow out.

They can also be cheaper than wax candles too but still make for great decorations. If you are using regular wax candles, please ensure these are all fully extinguished before you go to sleep, or leave the house.
When you’re taking your bin in, remember to take your neighbours bin in too. Wheelie bins can be an easy target so please only put your bins out on the day of collection and bring it back in as soon as possible. Store your bin in a safe area, away from windows and doors if possible. Be a good neighbour and help bring in your neighbours’ bins if you’re able to.

Tell us about the build-up of bonfire materials. During the Bonfire period in 2023, we removed 53 tonnes of potential bonfire materials such as wood, mattresses, and rubbish from the streets of Merseyside. If you see a build-up of combustible materials, report it via the MFRS website: https://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/safety-advice/community-safety/bonfire-safety/report-an-unlit-bonfire/ 

If we are called to a deliberately lit bonfire, this could delay our response to potentially life-threatening incidents. Never give combustible materials to anyone, especially young people. Please have conversations with young people in your lives about the impact of deliberate fires on the community.

Be respectful of your emergency services. Our firefighters and support staff are real people with families waiting for them at home at the end of their shift. If a fire engine is damaged, it will be taken out of service, meaning it cannot respond to another emergency, that may be potentially life-threatening. It could be your loved ones who need that fire engine. Please help us ease the pressure on all emergency services and remember, we can’t be in two places at once. An attack on us is an attack on your community.

Always dial 999 in an emergency. If you see fire or smoke or when someone is seriously ill, injured, and their life is at risk, do not contact the emergency services on social media, call 999 to request the Fire Service, Ambulance, or Police. Listen carefully to the person on the phone, and answer their questions as best as you can. Help us help keep you safe.
MFRS Group Manager for Community Safety Mark Sopp said: “We’re asking everyone in Merseyside to help us help them, by taking small actions to reduce the amount of deliberate fires our firefighters will attend during the Bonfire period this year.

“If our firefighters are responding to a wheelie bin fire or bonfire, it prevents them from responding to another, potentially-life threatening incident. Not only that, but secondary fires can spread quickly and put lives and nearby properties at risk.

“Please help us help you by having conversations with young people, your family and friends about understanding the impact of deliberate fires on our Fire Service and the wider Merseyside community.”  

GM Sopp added: “In previous years, we have seen objects, including bricks and fireworks, thrown at fire engines as crews respond to bonfire-related incidents.

“If a fire engine is damaged, it will have to be taken out of service, meaning it cannot respond to another emergency, that may be potentially life-threatening. Just remember, it could be your loved ones who need that fire engine.”

“An attack on fire crews is an attack on your own community. All fire engines carry CCTV cameras and footage will be passed on to Merseyside Police. This is not an acceptable way to treat your emergency services and this will not be tolerated.”

If you have any information about people involved in this type of anti-social behaviour which, every year, causes serious injury or damage, then please report it. Always contact 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, you can DM @MerPolCC, call 101 or @CrimestoppersUK

For fire safety advice, or if you do not have working smoke alarms in your property, call Fire Service Direct on 0800 731 5958. For more tips on staying safe this Halloween & Bonfire, visit Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service’s Facebook, X (@MerseyFire), Instagram (@Mersey_Fire), YouTube (@MerseyFire), Nextdoor or www.merseyfire.gov.uk