How Fireworks Displays Have Changed

It's not your imagination or faulty memory -large public fireworks displays used to have bigger bursts that went higher in the sky. Over the past few decades, professional pyrotechs have been compelled to make the shells smaller, which correlates with lower altitude. Doug Taylor, the president of Zambelli Fireworks, explains.

“What’s happened is, the size shell that you can shoot in a particular location has decreased,” Taylor explains. Just as shell width correlates to height, so too does height correlate with regulation. Old regulations dictated that you needed 70 feet of area cleared for every inch of shell fired around a launch area. The new industry standard is 100 feet. So when you play that out, practically, a large 12-inch shell needs 1,200 feet (or nearly a quarter of a mile) cleared in every direction to be considered safe.

Taylor tells me that fireworks sites nationwide have been shrinking with both urbanization and suburban sprawl.  

But that's not necessarily a bad thing. The shows make up for the decreased height with a more dense display.

“Rather than one 8-inch shell, I could probably put 12 3-inch shells up for the same price,” Taylor says. “We like that for several reasons. Larger shells are more dangerous because they have more explosive power in them. But the truth is, people in this country especially like density in their fireworks show.”

The drawback is that instead of watching them from your home, you are more likely to have to drive to the fireworks site. Read more about modern fireworks displays at FastCo Design. Link

(Image credit: Flickr use Jeff Golden)


Comments (0)

I love it! The cat jumps up & looks to make sure he/she isn't being watched. The dog sits patiently PRAYING the cat can solve the problem. The cat keeps an eye on the dog... not sure if he/she's going along with the escape or planning on intervening. As soon as the door is open, the cat sits & lets the dopey dog walk out first.... just in case there's trouble on the other side. After waiting a bit & NOT hearing the dog being eaten by monsters, the cat figures it's safe to escape. LOL

Wonderful video. Wonderful pets.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Oh dear! I can see my cat figuring out that one day. Luckily *touch wood* all my doorknobs are much higher than he can reach.

I have found him sitting on the laundry basket trying to turn the key to the cupboard where the food is stored and trying to figure out how to open & close the cat carrier. Not to mention that he's figured out how to open the windows if they're not fully latched, and he's more than happy to go through the window screens if they don't pop out when he gives them a shove. Worst of all, he's not even slightly ashamed when I catch him in the act.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.
Email This Post to a Friend
"How Fireworks Displays Have Changed"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More