Click photo to enlarge
Neisha Fuller (6), who was burned by a firework a year ago,
at home yesterday with her mother, Kathy. Photo by Jane
Dawber.
A shiver went down Kathy Fuller's spine on Tuesday night
when she heard the distant bang of a firework.
Last year, a firework which tipped over sent a ball of flame
on to the arm of her then 5-year-old daughter Neisha, about
10m away, setting her clothes alight.
• Warning over fireworks, pets
The resulting serious burn required weekly dressing for six
months.
"The physical scar she now has is scheduled for removal in
two weeks' time, but the emotional scar will be there for
many years to come," Mrs Fuller said.
"Needless to say, we will not be having any fireworks this
year."
Being a compliance officer herself, she was fully aware
fireworks were dangerous and believed she and her husband had
taken all the necessary precautions before setting them off
at their Green Island home last year.
All but one of the fireworks in the boxed set went off
without incident.
The offending firework, called "The Brick", was the last one
they lit. All the other, larger, fireworks were
heavy-bottomed, which appeared to keep them stable.
However, the Brick was much lighter and had the firing tubes
lined up along one side. A featherweight filler of
polystyrene along the other side meant there was "an
increased risk of [it] tipping over or becoming unstable
during firing", Mrs Fuller said.
She laid a complaint with the Environmental Risk Management
Authority (Erma) last year, but was concerned to see the same
firework on sale again this year and said she wanted to warn
people about the potential for things to go wrong.
"We just want them to be more aware of the risks.
"The pain, stress and trauma this has caused my daughter and
our family is not something I wish anyone else to go
through."
She hoped appropriate testing on the item had been done.
An Erma spokeswoman said each consignment of fireworks had to
be tested by the agency before it was sold to ensure it
complied with the rules.
The Brick was tested last year and found to comply. It had
not been tested this year, which meant any stock on sale
would be from last year, she said.
The Department of Labour, which received a copy of Mrs
Fuller's concerns from Erma last November, is investigating.
The person handling the case was not available yesterday.
- debbie.porteous@odt.co.nz
