Rogue firework left its mark

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 [2]

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 [3]