Finding a good Location

The first and most important part in the planning of your fireworks display is to find a location.  It is vital that all fireworks are ignited well away from anything flammable, and most importantly, spectators.  Your firing site should consist of four different zones:

Firework Area: where your fireworks will be set up and ignited from
Fallout Area: a space surrounding the firing area in which aerial firework debris will fall onto
Spectator Area: the designated area where viewers will watch from, located a safe distance from the fireworks

FIREWORK AREA

Yep, you guessed it - this is the ground zero for your show, where all of your fireworks will be.  This area alone needs to be large enough to:

1) space the fireworks so they are not to close to each other
2) move around/retreat from a firework without bumping into other fireworks
3) structure the fireworks so smaller ones are closer to the audience and larger more hazardous ones are farther away

This area must be on level ground, free of flammable materials such as buildings, dry grass, brush, gasoline cans, or anything else that will burn.  The last thing you want during your display is an unexpected fire.  It should also be free of objects that could be tripped over while approaching or retreating from a firework (such as rocks, sticks, and bottomless pits).   You must also be sure that the area directly above the firing area is free of any obstructions such as power cables, trees, or anything else that could potentially catch fire or deflect the flight of an aerial projectile.

The following are possible areas you can use to shoot fireworks from:

Sports playing fields:  Large fields of mowed green grass are perfect for firing a display.  Because it's still alive, the grass shouldn't pose a fire hazard, but it's always a good idea to take a few extra precautions.  For example, if the field has been mulched (grass clippings left behind when mowed), you should lightly rake the area to clear it of any dry grass clumps that could catch fire.  If possible, you should water the field lightly to eliminate the chance of any fires.  If you have access to a spigot, you can hook up a hose to a sprinkler and water the area down for about 10 minutes.  Otherwise, you can dampen the area with a large toy squirt gun.  If you live in a hot area, water the field towards the end of the day when it starts to cool down - otherwise the water may just evaporate off the grass.

Bulldozed lots or other dirt fields: if you are lucky enough to find a bulldozed dirt lot (or are rich enough to rent a CAT and bulldoze it yourself), they make great places to shoot a display from.  The lack of vegetation makes it impossible for anything to catch on fire, and you can easily pound support stakes or mounting poles into the ground.  Before using such an area, clear it completely of rocks, sticks, and anything else you may trip over in the dark.  Use a shovel to fill in any holes that may be in the area.  Be sure to get permission from the property owner before doing your show on such a lot.

The following are areas you should avoid:

City streets and cul-de-sacs: these are not good places for lighting off anything other than small fireworks like fountains and novelties.  They’re not very big, which means there isn’t a lot of space to light off a large number of fireworks safely without having them too close to parked cars, houses, and yards.  Also, you don’t want your fireworks to interfere with road traffic.  

Parking Lots: these would a great place to have a show because they're flat and are free of flammables.  There are a couple of problems, however.  First, you would have to get permission from the owner or the city in order to use them - and it's unlikely that they would let you do so, no matter how far from their building you plan on lighting the fireworks.  The other problem is the lights.  It seems as if parking lot designers constantly compete for the record of who can cram the most 4,000 mega volt lights into the smallest area. The blinding light given off by them can be seen from Mars, and will completely ruin the effects of night fireworks.  In most cases, you would probably have difficulties convincing the city utility company to shut off an entire parking lot of lights just so you can light off your fireworks.  But if you are actually able to get both of these things done, then by all means, go for it. 

Also, be sure to do your display well away from hospitals, retirement homes, or insane asylums.  You don't want to disturb the residents of these places - the last thing that they want to hear are whistles and explosions.  Keep away from animal shelters and farms, too - animals are terrified of fireworks.

Within the firework area, all of the types of devices should be placed according to how powerful they are and how far they might travel.  Observe the diagram to the left.  The idea is to have the least powerful fireworks - novelties, fountains, and firecrackers - near the front, whereas aerial items should be placed in the back, farthest from the audience.  Rockets should always be placed in the very back, no matter how many you have or how big they are.  Even if aimed straight up, rockets tend to fly a lot higher and a lot more erratically than shells.  Placing them farther away helps to reduce the chances of fallout coming back down onto the spectators (this is discussed in greater detail below).

FALLOUT AREA

Most aerial fireworks leave debris in the sky that doesn't burn up (pieces of cardboard) and will fall back down to earth, smoldering.  It is because of this that your firing site needs a fallout area for these pieces to land on.  As shown in the diagram, the fallout area surrounds and includes the actual firing area, and needs to be clear of any flammable debris, cars, or people.  It should extend about 75 feet beyond the firework area on all sides.  The following explains the type of fallout that comes from each type of aerial device.

Shells: though a shell burst looks powerful enough to disintegrate its paper casing, it doesn't - the lift charge cup and two paper hemispheres are left behind after the aerial explosion, which fall back to the ground.

Repeaters: most repeating aerial devices send up dozens of small cardboard tubes full of effects, which fall back empty after they burst.  Most of these contain clay plugs in the bottom, which can make them more heavy than they look.

Rockets:  no matter what type of rocket or missile you plan on using, there will be debris that falls out of the sky.  Smaller rockets typically blow the hell out of their thin paper casing when they explode, leaving only a tiny stick to flutter back to earth.  Large skyrockets and missiles, on the other hand, fall back to the ground with the sticks and fins (often made of plastic) still attached to the cardboard engine casing, along with the plastic nose cone.

Roman Candles and Mines: these type of devices emit stars which burn as they fly upwards, usually leaving nothing left behind to fall back down to the ground.  Larger bore, more elaborate roman candles may actually eject small tubes of effects (much like repeaters), which will be left behind after the effects burn up.   

SPECTATOR AREA

This is the designated area for people to gather and watch your show.  Be sure to position it so that the audience can easily get in and out of the area without going through the fallout or firework areas (face it towards the nearest road/parking lot/access way).  It should also be roped off to keep people from wandering too close to the fireworks during setup or the firing of the display.

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