Fire and false alarm fears see shop drop sky lanterns
Friday 14th August 2009, 2:00PM BST.
FEARS of prompting false rescue calls and starting fires have led a shopkeeper to take sky lanterns off the shelves.
Lucy Corbin, who owns Saiko in Mill Street, said: ‘We were going to set them off at the Vale Earth Fair.
‘Then we spoke to the fire safety officer who said they were really concerned about these things.
‘There have been quite a few problems in the UK with them.
‘They are mostly biodegradable, but they do have a little bit of wire in them which ends up in the countryside.’
Miss Corbin was considering sending them back to the distributor.
Guernsey Fire & Rescue Service is urging people to be cautious as the lanterns could cause a fire.
In Jersey there have been several Coastguard callouts after they were mistaken for distress flares.
Sky lanterns, which use hot air from a tea light for lift, have become popular in the islands.
But community fire safety officer Andy Mauger said they could be dangerous, particularly if they landed on thatch or dry gorse.
‘We are not trying to be killjoys but sky lanterns do pose a risk,’ he said.
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Hey, lots of things are dangerous – including fireworks, but do we stop selling them ?
Common sense should be used, these things are like hot air balloons and do NOT come down until the flame is fully extinguished, at this point they are at least 1000ft high ! – thus posing no fire risk.
Obviously they should’nt be let off in high winds and rain, and 5 miles away from airports we personally make a curtesy call to the coasst guard, informing them of any intended seaside release, for which they are very apprecicative – basic common sense.
I personally sell these items as a retailer and i know many of the distributors are working to eliminate the wire element used too.
However the wire used is a really small amount and poses very little risk.
Again there are cheap examples of the sky lantern on the market – make sure the lanterns come ready assembled, are fire retardent and have good safety instructions.
With a good quality lantern and common sense, the sky lantern should pose very little risk.
These really are a great product and provide much enjoyment for the masses. So lets educate people on their safe use and try to improve the product for the benefit of all.
Regards
Steve Barnacle
The Sky Lantern Experience
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