SO YOU WANT TO SPIN PYRO?

Spinning pyrotechnics is incredibly fun, and for the majority of fire performers – when seeing people spin fireworks, they automatically think “I want a go”. But if only it were that simple! There is a good reason that there aren’t many of us in Australia that do it, and it comes down primarily to time, compliance and cost. Not to mention a valuable prerequisite that many seem to overlook - you need professional and experienced competencies in object manipulation. You should be good at spinning the props that you want to use. Develop a background in flow arts and fire spinning before ever even contemplating spinning pyrotechnics.

Many Aussie professional fire performers in the past have actually contemplated beginning the process of spinning pyro in Australia, then given up. Yes – it can be that challenging. There aren't many of us that have gone the whole way.

Overseas is a different ballgame, but here in Australia – we have some of the strictest regulations in the world when it comes to fireworks. Not to mention each Australian state with their own independent rules, with Queensland (our resident state) taking the crown as the strictest state in all of Australia when it comes to fireworks regulations.

As we have discovered - spinning pyro is an interesting space that lingers between professional fire dancing and fireworks. You can’t possibly meet the desired outcome without being able to achieve appropriate competencies and understanding of both fire performing, and of course pyrotechnics. This includes understanding/developing industry best practices, and safe operating procedures in both fields - and morphing it all together.

Unlike fire performing, spinning pyro (pyro dancing, pyro performing, handheld pyrotechnics, firework performing) is in a heavily regulated industry. It takes significant time and energy to be able to deliver! Fire performing unfortunately, is a somewhat unregulated industry, meaning anybody can essentially pick it up. I use the word unfortunately because, without regulations – the overall safety and industry expectations become lower, overall decreasing the quality of the work that some performers believe to be ‘acceptable’ or ‘safe’.

To excel in the world of pyrotechnics, there are multiple requirements that need to be achieved (and each state is different) – to be compliant and to achieve the state expectations.

UNREGULATED:

No regulations in place - Higher incidence of accidents – No findings to contribute to regulations and best practice

REGULATED:

Regulations in place - Lower number of accidents – Findings contribute to regulation development

We would love nothing more than to see fire performing more regulated in Australia. It would increase the overall level of professionalism in the art, make performers more accountable for their actions, and deliver safer work of a higher standard. All of which, will contribute to the further development of the regulations. Regulations are also great for allowing competent persons to deliver dangerous work. There is nothing worse than a free for all - because that's when accidents happen, it impacts those that were safe and compliant all along!

The difference between the ‘fireworks’ and ‘fire performance’ industries in Australia is actually phenomenal. And if you want to spin fireworks, you’re wanting to handle explosives. If you want to handle explosives – then you’re essentially required to meet the same expectations as those businesses and companies that are in the fireworks industry. When we first started getting into pyrotechnics, at first we were somewhat blind. As we started unravelling piece by piece, we started to understand the magnitude of what was actually involved in doing it properly. Realistically – it's a very significant undertaking.

We often receive messages, “how do you do that?”. You’re about to see why – we can’t provide you with an easy answer over Instagram messenger, because there is no simple answer.

Below I’m going to list some items that are valuable when contemplating spinning fireworks here in Australia. Some of these items, we have also incorporated into the fire performance aspect of our business to help elevate a better, safer, and more professional product. This isn't a tutorial - this is just touching on what we have discovered throughout our journey, and providing some context to what we discovered were important items. Each item has a rabbit hole of associated information, which we don't have the capacity to provide as every case and state is unique.

For context - we are licensed pyrotechnicians in Queensland, New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory. With these licenses through mutual recognition and meeting other state regulations, we have delivered fireworks activities in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, West Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Are you ready – here goes!

INSURANCE

Pretty obvious item this one, and something that people astonishingly will choose to ignore. Why? - because its too expensive? Too bad. When you take a professional booking, the first thing they ask for is your insurance. There is also legislation in all states of Australia that stipulates, if delivering a firework activity you must be insured. There is no loop holes here guys, sorry. Fire performers have the luxury of dropping about $150 (on average) per year, to obtain insurance for their fire acts. Our insurance policy for pyrotechnics for Flux, is $27,500 per year. Yes, insurance is one of the most costly components of delivering pyrotechnics, or running a pyrotechnics business.

The person/business/company insured – needs to be the PCBU (Person conducting the business undertaking). You can have sub-contractors sit under your insurance policy, however – those sub-contractors (their names) will need to be added to the insurance policy, which comes at a pretty hefty cost, generally a few thousand extra dollars per year to have sub-contracted names added. Insurers do not like having sub-contractors on insurance policies and they really know how to charge for the privilege. Most performers that represent entertainment businesses are engaged as ‘sub-contractors’, and thus – if spinning pyro for someone, will need to be insured by that PCBU policy.

Now the next part regarding PCBU is really important.

The PCBU is important. Basically, if a fire spinning group want to utilise an external pyrotechnicians license to spin fireworks, those performers (if they do not have their own insurance policy for pyrotechnics) are obligated to represent the fireworks company. This means all commercial exchanges regarding the event (invoices, taking bookings, promotion etc) will need to go through that pyrotechnicians business, and the fireworks company is ultimately responsible for paying the thousands of extra dollars to have the performers added to their insurance policy - and those fees will then be on-charged to the performers anyway. You are then property of the pyrotechnician. If the commercial exchange with the client is outside of the fireworks company channels, then the fireworks company is no longer the PCBU and thus – the performers will not be insured. This is one of the many reasons as to why - licensing and independence is important, so you don't have to worry about this stuff. Regardless - it will never remove the cost of your insurance policy though! If you want to spin pyro in Australia, you really do need your own insurance.

Another area where fire performers may become stuck when applying for pyrotechnics insurance - is often the broker/insurer may request the PCBU to have a minimum turnover of $150,000 per year. In the fireworks world, this turnover is normal - however in the fire performance world, the reality is that there aren't many fire entertainment businesses in Australia that have this level of turnover. However - all circumstances are different, and its up to the individual to have these discussions and negotiations with the broker/insurer. Insurance can often be quoted per turnover, and lower turnover can make it not viable for the insurer.

If, the performance group want to represent their own brand (even if still under the direction of an external licensed pyrotechnician), they are required to possess their own insurance policy. In that case, they would generally be required to present some authority to handle explosives from a regulator to the insurer (i.e. licensing, security clearances etc).

We have performed in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, and West Australia with pyrotechnics. Every single state department, has requested copies of our public liability insurance whenever we have registered an event, with our names/business name listed.

And that’s not all, that base insurance will likely only cover you for public liability, not injury to performers, and your own property etc. All the more reason to act safely!

The crux of it is, if you want to represent your own brand – you’ll need your own insurance, which in turn means you’ll likely require your own license/authority. If you want to work for a pyrotechnician, expect for the additional charges of their insurance policy to be on-charged to you and you won't have the rights to any business development, independence or brand autonomy. Insurance can be very complex with pyrotechnics, so research it properly.

Following on to the next item.

LICENSES / SECURITY CLEARANCES

I am going to start off by talking about security clearances before discussing licenses. Security clearances are essentially a government check, that confirms you are a trustworthy person and they deem you fit to handle explosives (pyrotechnics). You submit the relevant security clearance documents to the state authority and they conduct background checks, police checks, assess your criminal history – and generally within a couple of months, you will receive a security clearance for explosives (sometimes it can be faster but I have also seen it take longer for people). If you have a criminal history, the process of obtaining a security clearance can take much longer than those that have a clean history. Every state has its own security clearance system – and some states also require a federal police check.

A security clearance is basically a prerequisite to any kind of pyrotechnic license. You won’t ever be able to obtain a pyrotechnic license without having a security clearance. It is also recommended that even though you may not want to have a ‘pyrotechnic license’ (e.g. you are working with someone who has a license), in most cases you would still generally be required to have a security clearance as you are working with and handling explosives. If for example you are performing with pyrotechnics as part of a show under the direction of a licensed pyrotechnician – there will be times where you will be spinning pyrotechnics, and the licensed person will not be watching you. This is unsupervised handling of explosives and thus – requires a security clearance. Government departments monitor this, especially as your name will be listed on the display notification form that is provided to the department prior to the show. Don't screw this up - if you want to handle pyro, this should be your top priority. It's also 'industry best practice' - we want things to look/be safe, compliant and professional, so ignoring valuable items like this inevitably will make pyro spinners look reckless, and falls back on the collective.

Next up – licensing. Licensing is a crucial component of delivering pyrotechnics, particularly if you desire a level of independence, business autonomy, knowledge, competence, and overall industry respect. You basically need to acquire the certificates from a registered training organisation, and currently – there is only one RTO for fireworks in Australia. Once you study the course materials, familiarise yourself with code of practice in the relevant state, complete the online courses and theory materials, and then attend a practical pyrotechnics training day – you then will obtain ‘statements of attainment’. Competence is assessed on ground based fireworks (close-proximity fireworks and outdoor fireworks), not pyro spinning. There are no competencies for pyro spinning (theatrical pyrotechnics aka moving platform pyrotechnics).

But that’s not all. Reminder that every state has different expectations and requirements for providing a license submission. What we have noticed for most state licenses (a reminder that we have 3x Australian state licenses), is that they most likely expect you to submit:

• Federal police checks

• A medical check / eye sight (certified)

• First aid and CPR current (certified)

• Statements of training (certified)

• A safety management system

• Proof of insurance

• Payment of a fee

• Application form

Further to the above – states generally require licensed storage. This means storing fireworks in accordance with the storage requirements specified in the states code of practice and to Australian Standards. Fireworks generally need to be stored in a ‘magazine’ (fireworks storage) or in an approved storage facility or receptacle that the government approve. This will also come at a cost and is often a separate license to the pyrotechnician license. Furthermore, some states may require a license to ‘import’ in to the state, not to be confused with ‘importing’ in to the country – which is a separate license all together.

Example, the ACT request a fireworks operator license, a storage license, and an import license.

Regardless on the state you are applying for the license, the pyrotechnician needs to consult the relevant state explosives department and see what is required from a compliance perspective to achieve the outcome – which is to spin pyro! If that’s what you’re wanting to do, be prepared – because it is a lot, and you will be treated exactly the same as a fireworks business.

PHYSICAL PRACTICE

This is where you may also have a hard time. Being able to learn how to affix pyrotechnics correctly to props, ensuring the props are compliant, wiring them in, understanding the firing systems, prop maintenance, how to use the props, and what safe operating procedures need to be developed (because you are responsible for this). From here you will need to also assess the differences between products. Factors behind product selection that are most important are:

• Product size (distance of effect)

• Product duration

• Smoke output

• Product dimension and weight

To be honest, most pyrotechnicians that have never been involved with pyro spinning before - don't usually place as much attention on smoke output, product dimensions and weight, as the products aren't being manipulated in a theatrical sense. It can take a really long time sometimes to find the right product for you. Smoke output is a huge factor! The smoke from pyrotechnics can be really intense, which is why we wear masks. Sometimes even for smokier product - we wear full on respirators.

Safety is sexy.

Pyrotechnic props when fully loaded are considerably heavier and bulkier than regular fire props. It's important to always assess product dimensions and weight prior to purchase. The cost of product can also really vary substantially, and you can really tell the difference between cheap and more expensive product. Cheaper product that is worth spinning, you're looking around $11 per piece, however they will be incredibly smokey and unpleasant (and we aren't fans of this stuff for most shows) - and a full respirator would be valid. More expensive product, that produces less smoke, and a more clean effect (which we try to tend to use) - you're looking around $20 per piece. We love cleaner, more smokeless product - its way better for stage use and it gives us a much better time when spinning (and is better for the audience and indoor environments).

Some props, you also don't really have a choice. You need to try and acquire nitrocellulose based product if you can. Take for example - everyone's favourite, the pyro dragon staff. If you have 8x cheap pyro pieces loaded, even if you're wearing a respirator you can really feel it - it's not good for you at all, especially if you want to do lots of shows over a prolonged period of time. In this case - we use more expensive product. So that clean 60 second pyro dragon staff burn, is $160 worth of product. The costs on show overheads quickly add-up, especially when factoring in product costs on top of insurance costs and other compliance costs.

Next thing - your eyeballs! Protect them at all costs! It's also part of the regulations. If you want to spin fireworks around, you need to wear safety glasses - this is a non negotiable in Australia, and inspectors would have an absolute fit if they saw you not wearing a pair. Besides, you should want too. Any mistakes that are made on the operators part - have an impact on everybody. This is something that some ignorant people will disregard. Just because you may think "oh it'll be fine".. until its not. Then all of a sudden we (along with all other licensed pyrotechnicians) receive emails from the government advising of an incident thats occured and that there has been a change to the regulations. Its infuriating and its the quickest way to get a bad name in this industry.

For example - in Queensland, every time something happens with explosives - all pyrotechnicians receive an email.

Another thing that is overlooked - fire safe attire. Seeing as those that are most interested in pyro-spinning should be professional fire performers, they should have a general understanding of what types of clothing are considered to be safe. Government inspectors will also look at this.

Follow the rules.

I'm not going to dive into the entire setup and delivery process, because this isn't an appropriate place or method to do-so. On to the next item.

EVENT REGISTRATION

Every time that pyrotechnics are used in an event, the pyrotechnician/fireworks operator is responsible for informing the explosives regulator in the governing state. This is also the law, notifications need to be in place whenever explosives are to be used, no matter how small the performance. Even if you want to practice, the government also requires a formal notification - yes, thats right!

QLD = RHSQ

NSW, VIC, ACT, NT, TAS = Worksafe

SA = Safework

WA = DEMIRS

Each state in Australia has its own system, with its own notification requirements. And just because you may hold a license in another state, does not necessarily mean that the state you want to perform in, will recognise the license that you hold. Some states may mutually recognise an interstate license, however other Australian states may request you to apply for a license in their state to operate fireworks.

States will also raise questions surrounding ‘importing’ and ‘storage’. How do you plan on bringing the fireworks into the state (licensed transport), how do you plan on storing the fireworks (licensed storage).

When registering fireworks use with the state department, they will generally want to see appropriate licensing, appropriate insurance, appropriate transport to the event coming from appropriate storage, a safe work method statement (or a display management plan), and compliance with those state regulations - which should all align with your safety management system (further below). It’s also worth noting that often, state departments require notice of a fireworks activity within a particular timeframe before an event. Often with pyro-spinning, they deem the activity to be of a higher risk nature, and may request longer timeframes (e.g. currently in Queensland – they require 14 days minimum notice for theatrical fireworks).

Further to this - states will also ask for notifications to be made to the local council, police department, and also the local fire service.

SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Another requirement in most states is to provide a safety management system. In our experience, this has been the largest component with the highest work requirements. A state department may request to see/review your safety management system prior to issuing you a licence (depending on the license). Our safety management system for example – is about 100 pages long.

The safety management system highlights all components of the business operations surrounding the dangerous goods in question. Safe operating procedures covering everything from handling, setup, packdown, transport, storage – you name it, and all have to be referenced to the relevant codes of practice and Australian standards.

I can’t really advise you on where to start this process, most people will pay someone to create this document properly, in collaboration with those responsible for the business operations (you). You do need to know this document back to front and the content that it contains, as your day to day operations will align with the information. Not to mention your safe work method statements (built for each event), will need to also align with the information that is provided in the Safety Management System.

SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENTS

It is essential to provide a safe work method statement when delivering a pyrotechnics performance. A safe work method statement is essentially a glorified risk assessment. We also provide safe work method statements for our fire performances and other services we deliver whenever they are booked – we find that it looks professional and when you are working with larger events or more reputable clients, a safe work method statement is generally their minimum expectation.

Information provided in the safe work method statement should be specific to the event/venue, and the risk management needs to align with the content that is listed in your safety management system.

STEEL WOOL – NO THANKYOU

We have seen ‘firework effect finales’ advertised around Australia for fire shows. Steel wool spinning is essentially flying hot metal burning off in the air. Honestly, personal opinion here – it’s uninsurable and unsafe. Also playing on a ‘budget firework effect’ finale’ for a show, the reality is that not many venues and events will ever allow it – especially if you cannot provide insurance for it. I have performed in shows (years ago - not with Flux Entertainment) with people spinning steel wool behind me before, and have felt chunks of metal burn holes in my shirt. Steel wool is not a firework effect, its not insurable, its not safe, don't recommend.

INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICE

It’s hard to progress independently in pyro spinning unless you’re willing to ensure that all required items are satisfied, and that you put in the work. If you take shortcuts or try to skip things, you will inevitably find yourself in a pickle. Further to this – thinking you can take shortcuts, will mean doing things that go against the regulations. The way to make it your first and last pyrotechnic performance is not adhering to government regulations. Shortcuts don’t work in this industry.

There is a lot we can also take from the pyrotechnics world to also improve many aspects of the fire performance world. The more aware we are of industry best practice and safe operating procedures will improve the standard of work and safety that is delivered across the board.

There are many elements and far more information involved in each topic raised in this post, but the reality is that we aren't interested in publishing a book or building a course. I encourage anyone that is either involved in fire arts, or interested in pyrotechnics/pyro spinning - to always research the rules and regulations before you jump in, and develop your own safe operating procedures as such. Trying to cut corners won't get you anywhere, and it runs a serious risk of harming other business and professionals in the industry that bothered to put in the work to be compliant, professional and safe.

Happy spinning!

P.s - we had to figure out a majority of this information the hard way - there is no handbook.

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