Fireworks at home

The following safety requirements apply to any use of family or domestic fireworks to produce visual and audio effects during a temporary special event:

  1. Any display of more than 150 fireworks must be supervised by a fireworks handler with the appropriate certification. 
  2. The person in charge of lighting the fireworks must be at least 18 years old.
  3. Choose a wide, cleared site that is far away from any overhead obstacles. Spectators must remain outside the perimeter. 
  4. A security perimeter of at least 30 m must be set up between the fireworks, the audience and any buildings. The perimeter must also comply with the distance requirements stipulated by the manufacturer. 
  5. The performance technicians must be familiar with all guidelines regarding handling the fireworks and they must follow all safety precautions. 
  6. Altering or modifying the fireworks from their original state is prohibited.
  7. It is recommended that a good base be used for lighting the fireworks, such as buckets, boxes or wheelbarrows full of soil or sand. 
  8. If the fireworks do not have a base, they must be buried up to the halfway mark unless otherwise indicated on the label. Place them at a 10-degree angle away from the spectators. 
  9. Always light the wick at its tip. 
  10. 10. Holding lit fireworks or fireworks you are about to light in your hand is prohibited. 
  11. 11. Lighting a firework again if it has failed to explode or trying to repair a defective firework is prohibited. Wait at least 30 minutes before going near a firework that has not exploded and return it to the authorized retailer. 
  12. No fireworks may fly or explode over the audience. 
  13. 13. Keep water nearby because all used fireworks and debris must be placed in a bucket of water. 
  14. 14. Keep the fireworks in a cool, dry and well-ventilated area that is sheltered from the sun and out of the reach of children. 
  15. 15. No fireworks may be lit in windy conditions or if a storm has been forecast. 
  16. 16. Have at least two approved minimum class 2A portable fire extinguishers.
  17. No defective fireworks may be destroyed on site. Defective fireworks must be returned to the authorized retailer. 
  18. Send the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal a written report of any event that occurs on the site during set-up, deployment, etc.