Planet Science caught up with Matthew Tosh, a Senior Display
Supervisor. Guess where he was when we spoke to him? Standing in a
muddy field putting a huge fireworks display together!
Hi Matt! What first got you into fireworks?
A long term interest from childhood. I really enjoyed technical
stuff behind the scenes, like in theatre. In a firework show
there's a lot of technical stuff behind the scenes, such as
rigging, checking angles and safety, just like theatre.
What's your favourite part of the job?
I get a thrill out of seeing all my hard work paying off in the
evening. The ultimate buzz is a crowd of 70,000 people cheering
because of what I've done. I also like the link between science and
the performing arts - it's a perfect match of geeky programming and
the performance side.
What's the worst thing?
Definitely the weather! Kneeling in the mud in the wind and rain
when you can't feel your fingers and you're trying to finish
intricate fusing is hard.
Putting together a firework
display (c) Matthew Tosh
What are the skills you need to be a firework
technician?
I'm the site manager at the current show I'm doing, which is
very exciting. It's a digital show, with the fireworks set to go
off in time to music. A Senior Display Supervisor needs a good
rapport with his clients and members of the public. You need to
think clearly and logically under pressure to deal with delays and
fix the rig [the structure that fireworks are attached to]
calmly and efficiently. Teamwork is also important. You've got to
get on with the job, no matter what someone asks you to do -
whether that's standing in a hedge or crawling in mud!
What do you do when something goes wrong?
You need to think on your feet to deal with problems such as
fireworks misfiring. There's a lot more to the job than meets the
eye!
Has anything particularly bad gone wrong?
The most spectacular thing I've seen is a firework malfunction,
when a firework goes off on the ground. That's why we have safety
distances, because the fireworks go off at a range of 50 to 100
metres! Surprisingly though, the most common injuries to firework
technicians are hitting their thumb with a hammer and getting
splinters from the wooden rig.
Push the button! Setting off
fireworks (c) Matthew Tosh
Do you have a science background?
Yes, I studied physics at university.
Does that help you in your job?
Yes, definitely! I actually fell into fireworks via teaching. I
invited a firework company to a school I was teaching at. I was
interested in the process and the firework company offered to train
me.
How can other people get into the fireworks
industry?
If you're interested in setting up firework displays, contact a
professional display company. Many will take you out on a few shows
to see if you like it. Then, you can get qualifications from the
British Pyrotechnists' Association. I'm authorised to drive a 7.5
ton truck full of explosives!
Thanks Matthew!
Right, Planet Science is going to work on our explosive
qualifications...
If you want more information about Matthew's work as a firework
technician, you can follow him on Twitter @matthewtosh.