GOVERNMENT SPOKESPEOPLE have again reiterated the importance of exercising caution when it comes to using fireworks, ahead of one of the busiest nights of the year for emergency services in Finland.
The divisional officer of the Länsi-Uudenman Rescue Services, Riku Rantala, has warned New Year’s Eve revelers to avoid using fireworks if intoxicated, saying that “if you’re too drunk to read the instructions on a packet of fireworks, you shouldn’t be using them at all”.
He has also provided a safety and training video for New Year's Eve, which is available on News Now Finland.
The Finnish fire services have asked people to use common sense when handling fireworks. Given that their busiest call-out period of the entire year is between 23:00-02:00 on New Year’s Eve, with emergencies being almost exclusively fireworks-related, exercising a little caution can save the emergency services a lot of time and resources.
Strong winds are also expected on Monday evening, meaning that the flight paths of projectiles will be hard to predict.
In Finland, fireworks are usually sold in licensed shops and can only be used by the general public from 18:00 on December 1st to 02:00 the next day. Accidents are most frequently caused by intoxicated revelers, with burns and bruises being the most common types of injury.
Adam Oliver Smith – HT
Image: Lehtikuva
