Deputy Chief Fire Officer Rod Hammerton spoke out about the risks posed to people, property and firefighters by the paper lanterns but welcomed a new code of practice issued by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) aimed at manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers.
“They are a severe fire hazard and a cause for great concern especially with their threat to Shropshire farmland and to areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Paper sky lanterns, which are alight and float aimlessly above the ground, posed a serious risk to livestock and crops, camp sites, thatched properties and hazardous materials on the ground, he warned.
The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) has welcomed new guidance from the TSI, the government and the industry advising on good practice in the manufacture, distribution, retail and use of sky lanterns in the UK. It covers four areas: design and manufacture; safety checks; warnings and instructions for use and responsible sale.
The guidelines aim to minimise potential risks associated with the misuse of sky lanterns and to help the industry recognise the necessary safety checks and information required to ensure their responsible sale and safe use.
The Code of Practice advises manufacturers carry out a risk assessment of any proposed product, covering its size and shape, construction, packaging and labelling and including documented practical safety trials. It also includes a sample warning notice and instructions for use and guidance for distributors and retailers on selling sky lanterns responsibly.
CFOA’s Director of Prevention, Protection and Road Safety, Dave Curry said: “We welcome the issue of the Trading Standards Institute’s Code of Practice as a step towards minimising the potential risks associated with the use of sky lanterns.
“But we would still discourage the widespread use of these lanterns as they are a fire hazard.”
There have been a number of serious injuries involving sky lanterns across the UK since they were introduced, although none in Shropshire to date. A boy was burned in Wrexham in 2011 in one incident. Trading standards officers investigated 55 incidents before compiling their safety recommendations.
Chinese lanterns were responsible for causing a huge fire with a 6,000ft smoke plume leading to £6m damage when 100,000 tonnes of plastic set alight at a waste recycling plant in Smethwick last summer. Three firefighters were treated in hospital for injuries received at the scene. Hereford and Worcestershire firefighters were faced with exploding gas cyclinders when they arrived to tackle another major fire involving Chinese lanterns when 50 caravans were destroyed at a storage site near Tewksbury just after bonfire night last year.