Pyrotechnics: when playing with fire brings in the big bucks

When we’re children we’re warned against the hazards of playing with fire. Threats range from the tame but embarrassing consequence of bed-wetting, to the scarier scenario of the neighbourhood going up in flames, all because the hapless child wanted to light a match. But fire appeals to something primitive deep within us all and not everyone grows out of his or her early fascination with its destructive beauty.

There are several options available to fire-lovers. They can pit themselves against the flames as fire-fighters, or they can learn to control fire and all things fire-related as pyrotechnicians. There is also the option of arson, but that’s not something we like to encourage.

According to Wikipedia, pyrotechnicians are “responsible for the safe storage, handling, and functioning of pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic devices.” The term refers chiefly to those who work in the entertainment industry, but can be stretched to include those who handle fireworks and explosives.

In most countries, aspiring and professional pyrotechnicians are required to have a licence or some form of certification, although there is very little consensus as to what that means. In the United States for example, there is no national certification programme and it’s up to the individual states to implement their own licensing regulations. Problems arise when states don’t use the same definitions or have the same operating requirements. The situation is further complicated by a lack of reciprocity. Some states refuse to recognise certification granted in other areas of the US, which leads to a situation where technicians have to carry multiple licenses.

In the UK, there are two major pyrotechnics associations, which regulate the industry and work to ensure that high standards of safety and professionalism are upheld. The British Pyrotechnists Association is involved primarily with fireworks, while the Association of Stage Pyrotechnicians is interested in anything to do with theatrical pyrotechnics, including stage, concert and conference events.

If money is as interesting to you as fire is, look no further than the entertainment industry, where the bigger the pyrotechnics the better. Countless entertainers (singers and wrestlers) like to make an appearance amid fireworks or deceptively dangerous flames. And there is nothing movie makers like more than to blow things up.

One thing you’ll never be short of is excitement. One veteran pyrotechnician says that even after 22 years in the industry, he still gets a little scared. That’s because pyrotechnics can be unpredictable, and unpredictability is dangerous. As another professional says, it can be embarrassing when nothing happens instead of the big bang everyone was expecting. But then you have to go into an uncertain situation to try and find out why. Many technicians have been injured investigating erratic fuses that didn’t burn as they should have.

Not all accidents are unhappy ones, however. During the filming of the movie Blown Away, an explosion in Boston Harbour was badly miscalculated, and shattered windows up to 30 blocks away. The result was caught on 14 well-placed cameras and the dramatic images played an important role in the movie’s marketing campaign.
Recommended sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrotechnician

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrotechnics

http://www.salary.com/careers/layouthtmls/crel_display_Cat10_Ser177_Par277.html

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers Pitmans People temporary and casual labour opportunities one of the leading suppliers of temporary and casual labour to the UK workforce