A high profile campaign to promote firework safety has been launched in Staffordshire today. 

Operation Good Guy forms part of the annual 'Take Care and Be Aware' initiative and aims to keep young people safe on and around Bonfire Night. 

Trading standards teams at Staffordshire County Council and Stoke on Trent City Council are joining forces with Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that fun lovers stay safe during the festivities. 

Trading standards officers will be visiting licensed shops to offer advice and guidance to ensure they do not sell fireworks to children under 18 as well as working to tackle the illegal use of fireworks. 

The four partner agencies will also be carrying out spot checks on traders to make sure that they are not flouting the law. 

Firefighters will be delivering a presentation to pupils to highlight how dangerous fireworks can be when in the wrong hands.   

The partners have also released a poster and leaflet featuring a stark warning about the risks involved in misusing fireworks. 

An interactive game which aims to keep children safe and happy around Bonfire Night is available to play by visiting:

Staffordshire County Councillor Robbie Marshall, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Community Safety, said: "Bonfire Night is a very popular celebration and if revellers are sensible it can be a lot of fun for everyone involved. 

"However, if people don't act in a safe and responsible way, there can be devastating consequences. Operation Good Guy aims to highlight the dangers involved if fireworks get into the wrong hands and to remind people that some older and more vulnerable members of the community don't always look forward to the occasion. I would urge people to have a good time but be aware of other people." 

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service's Head of Risk Reduction Ian Sloss said: "We want people to enjoy Bonfire Night celebrations but in a safe way so that they are not putting themselves or others at risk. 

"Bonfire Night is typically the busiest night of the year for the Fire Service with us attending many incidents which could have been avoided had people followed our safety advice. We encourage people to attend organised bonfires and firework displays as safety is the main priority at these events. 

"We have delivered over 30 Operation Good Guy presentations to schools across the county however we would like to remind parents that a responsible adult should supervise children at all times around bonfires and fireworks."  

Superintendent Juliet Prince said: "Bonfire night can be a lot of fun for all the family, there are many organised events being held and I'd recommend leaving firework displays to the professionals.
"We are working with partners to reduce anti-social behaviour and will be stepping up patrols around bonfire night to deal with anyone misusing fireworks." 

For more information visit Staffordshire County Council's website at: http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/beaware  

 

 

Posted October 31st, 2011 at 1405 by Andrew. Comment by emailing: andrew.lynch@pavpub.com