The Civil Protection Department is “very worried” that, to cut costs, village feast organisers do not always ensure that fire engines are on standby when fireworks are let off, as the rules demand.
Two weekend fires
If the aerial displays are longer than 15 minutes, the law requires that a fire engine is on site, according to CPD operations manager Tony Pisani, who pointed out that this was not always the case.
The fact that the law was not being observed was of great concern to Mr Pisani, who said corners were being cut to save money.
It costs about €300 to have a fire engine on site for a minimum of three hours on Saturdays and Sundays and less during the week.
But Pyrotechnics Association president Joseph Camilleri said this was “never the case” as having a fire engine on site was not a choice.
He did point out, however, that “similar” bowsers, with a hose and nozzle, were used to save money, the cost being considered high, particularly during the week when paying for a fire engine was “not worth it” due to the small amount of fireworks.
“I do not understand why we cannot also use these over the weekend, on the eve and on day of the feast,” Mr Camilleri said.
Asked if using a bowser meant breaking the law, Mr Camilleri said there was some leeway, adding the displays barely exceeded 15 minutes during the week.
He said he had experienced cases where people took advantage of the fireworks displays and caused damage themselves to be able to ask for compensation, even if it was impossible that the petards would end up in their property.
Over the weekend, fires broke out in Qrendi and Manoel Island when burning petards dropped on vegetation.
At the feast in Qrendi, where fireworks were being let off all week, Mr Pisani said fire engines were only ordered on site by on Saturday and yesterday.
Even then, the fireworks started before the time the fire engines were asked to be on standby – between 9.30 p.m. and 11.30.
The CPD’s intervention to put out fires without a fire engine, as was the case on Thursday, meant a “big struggle” for its personnel, Mr Pisani said.
“The whole point of having a fire engine on site is to make sure a small fire does not get out of hand.”
The problem at the Qrendi site was the dry, long vegetation in the surrounding countryside, which was prone to catching fire once the burning petards fell back down. It all depends on the direction of the wind.
Saturday’s incident did not require back-up CPD personnel from one of the fire stations, but the site was problematic because engines did not have access to it and firemen had to walk to the site with fire beaters – a large spade-like equipment –Mr Pisani explained.
The CPD, he said, received a complaint from the neighbourhood that no fire engines were on site on Friday when fireworks were being let off. The complainant was asked to contact the police.
The police had refused an application to issue a permit to let off fireworks from a particular site in Luqa during the feast last week following a complaint that it was close to a bring-in site and a gas storage facility in the vicinity of dry grass, Mr Pisani said.
In the case of Qrendi, the site might not be close to residences and did not pose a threat in that sense but, being in a valley, it was obvious the fires would destroy nature, he said.
Trees on Manoel Island were also set alight by falling petards yesterday morning and the CPD was again called in to fight fires that resulted from the fireworks.
Again, there was no fire engine standing by and at least two had to be brought in to control the fires.