Hereford and Worcester fire service reminding people to stay safe ahead of Bonfire Night
Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) say it was called out to 22 incidents on the 5 November last year
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue ( HWFRS) are reminding people how vital it is to take care around fireworks ahead of Bonfire Night.
The service is urging people to think twice about having firework celebrations at home this year, but to take extra caution if they do.
It said last year on 5 November, it was called out to 22 incidents, which is almost in-line with the average from the last 10 years, when between 2014 and 2024, HWFRS attended a total of 254 incidents on 5 November (Guy Fawkes Night), an average of 23 incidents each year.
Station commander John Ellsworth from the prevention team says following the correct guidelines can make a real difference and is calling for those having their own displays to make sure they are fully prepared for it.
"If we can stick to the firework code every year, we get to enjoy fireworks safely without having to worry about us or our family and friends," he said.
"If you do want to stay at home and light your bonfire, what we'd ask you to do is to have a discussion with your neighbours beforehand and please build your bonfire away from sheds, fences and trees because they can easily get out of hand and quickly spread.
"Ensure there is a suitable barrier around the bonfire and keep spectators at least five metres away, don't use petrol or white spirit or anything like that to light your fire and always keep buckets of water, maybe a hose very close by."
Ahead of the night, pet owners are also being reminded to make sure they keep an eye on their animals during it, with the fire service asking people to keep them inside.
Elliot Goodwin from Vets For Pets Hereford says its really important to monitor them during this period.
He said: "Bonfire night and fireworks and the couple of weeks either side for lots of pets can be quite a stressful period.
"This is with it being something that often our animals either are just not used to it, or they might be sensitised to it, so it might be that we've got pets that are very fearful of noises, so other than just sort of being surprised when there's another bang that goes off, they can be genuinely very afraid.
"A really important one (to keep pets safe) that's often overlooked is to make sure that with cats and dogs, we've got the microchips and the microchipping details are up to date, so just if worst case scenario, something does happen and your pet gets lost or confused or runs away, at least you've got the security knowing that their chip details are correct and they can be reunited when they are found."
More information and advice can be found over on the fire service's website here.