New Year Safety: How to handle the dangerous stuff

by: BJ David
Illustrations by BJ David
2007-12-12

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Firecrackers. A New Year just wouldn't be as fun and exciting without bright sparks and loud noises.

Despite the availability of safer alternatives such as horns, weaker fireworks and noise-makers, a lot of us still go on and buy the dangerous kind of firecrackers. Now, we are not here to stop you from buying these, but allow us to give you some tips on how to safely enjoy these explosive and incendiary wonders.

Taming the trayanggulo

It looks just as its name suggests; it is triangular in shape with a fuse sticking out on one end. It is popular among adult and adolescent males, perhaps to show off bravery by handling such a dangerous explosive. But no amount of bravado could mitigate for the amount of stupidity and pain you'll be feeling after you've blown a few fingers off.

The trayanggulo has many variants and they only differ in size and, of course, power. The most powerful variants are the Pla-pla and the Super Lolo. There is also the weaker, yet equally dangerous, Rebentador.

People commonly handle these firecrackers by holding them, lighting them up, and throwing them away. While this may look all so "macho", it is very dangerous as some fuses burn out quickly, causing the trayanggulo to explode prematurely in your hand. Now ask yourself if looking macho is worth losing the use of your hand.

The safest way to ignite the trayanggulo is to place it on a spot where it could harm no one (an empty sidewalk would do nicely). Light the fuse using a burning mosquito coil (katol) attached to a long pole. You may also peel off some of the fuse's paper covering to increase the fuse-delay, giving you more time to move away and cover your ears.

What you see is watusi

The watusi is a popular firecracker among the children. It's compact, easy-to-use and produces light crackling sounds in rapid succession. It's fun to watch as it dances around while it crackles.

It may all sound very safe to some, but the watusi is notorious for its small spitfires that could cause pain and may go straight to your skin, or worse, your eyes if you're not careful.

These firecracker can be lighted up safely by wrapping a bunch of them in paper, burning it, then moving out of the way. The watusi sticks will then ignite and jump out of the paper wrapping, much like popcorn, and all you have to do is watch and enjoy. If you still prefer to go traditional and scratch the sticks individually to ignite them make sure you throw them away quickly.

And finally, do not let any one ingest them. Watusi is highly toxic and you must wash your hands thoroughly after handling them.

Blasting the belt

Some New Year's are just not complete without the piece de resistance: Ang Sinturon Ni Hudas. It is a bunch of trayanggulos (almost all variants) with a whistle bomb at the tail, braided together to explode sequentially.

It can be lighted safely by following the same procedure to ignite the trayanggulo. But you need to be more careful on where you place it because it is a barrage of some of the most powerful firecrackers out there. Some of those firecrackers will fly off the belt and could explode near your vicinity. Make sure that it is in a place where no one could accidentally pass by and get hurt.

The most critical point of blasting the belt is its aftermath. There may be some unexploded firecrackers lying around after the barrage, so make sure to douse the blast zone with water to neutralize the remaining trayanggulos.

Lighting the lusis

The lusis (sparkler sticks) are one of the safer locally made fireworks but that doesn't mean that you have to be careless.

Lighting up a lusis takes a while and will require you to put its tip over an open flame for a few seconds. Instead of using a lighter and sustaining a fire over the lusis, light up a propped candle and use it to ignite the stick.

Remember to point the torch-like flame away from you or any other firecrackers. Also, try not to look directly into the flame as it can burn very bright.

No frolicking in the fountain

The fountain is much like the lusis. It also takes quite a while to ignite and produces a spray of sparks. The only difference is that the fountain is bigger and is propped up vertically, meaning that it has a much larger spray radius.

Do not attempt to light the fountain with a candle. It will take a long time and when it does ignite, it will immediately unleash its shower of sparks upon you.

Light it from a safe distance by using the lusis. Light up the lusis and use its torch-like flame to burn the fountains wick. This will give you enough time to run away when the shower starts.

After the onslaught

After having your fun blasting out your eardrums and brightening the night sky with blooming fire-flowers, make sure to clean up the mess.

Use a garden hose and spray the blast zones with water to douse any other lighted wicks or flames. After which, you can freely sweep up the remaining debris.

And because Media Noche follows after the fireworks, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.

Let's all be vigilant in keeping ourselves and others safe while we welcome the New Year. There is nothing more fulfilling than going into 2008 with peace of mind and a complete set of fingers.

Stay safe and have a pleasant New Year.

If you have any comments and suggestions, you may send them to info@hotoccasions.com. We'd love to hear from you.

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