Merlin Fireworks are immensely proud of our dedicated team of Firework Display Technicians or “Firers” who set up and fire our displays.

We have many Technicians, across a wide range of ages and with varying experience levels, from the old hands with thirty years behind them to the newest trainees. One thing unites them all and that is their commitment to ensuring every one of our firework displays takes place safely and on schedule.

That can mean very long working days, with early morning starts through to early morning finishes, especially in the Summer months when displays are not fired until late. Then comes the packing away and clearing up and then the drive back to base.

Firework Display Technicians work all year round and in all weathers, rain or shine yet our team keep smiling and cheerfully get on with the task in hand.

 

We work in all sorts of environments, open spaces in parks and sports fields, on floating pontoons or seaworthy barges, on buildings and rooftops, on stages and stadiums and sometimes indoors too!  Our team need to adapt to any particular display situation and as with any work environment there is a training programme.

New trainees gain knowledge and experience working alongside and with our senior, more experienced staff until they have grasped the basics and are ready to learn more.  As longstanding members of the British Pyrotechnists Association Merlin are committed to the BPA’s training scheme for Firers. This scheme is a training and examination scheme aimed at ensuring the highest standards of firework display safety. This programme has been accredited by City & Guilds as meeting its quality assurance criteria, and is the only UK accredited qualification in this field.  The scheme meets the requirements of the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2010 in that BPA qualified Firers are deemed to be “Persons with Specialist Knowledge”. BPA qualified Firers are re-validated every five years with a refresher course and Examination and they must also have attended a minimum number of displays in that time.

In keeping with the BPA’s recommendation, our Company policy is that all displays are supervised by a BPA qualified Senior Firer.