Boom! Confessions of a Fireworks Operator

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Setting off fireworks. Don’t try this at home. (Photo: JP Danko/Stocksy)

Every 4th of July, fireworks stream across the sky, thanks to pyrotechnicians like Maziar Momeni, who has been a firestarter since he was 6 years old. A decade ago, the 44-year-old information-technology professional in Virginia started putting on displays for friends and family and now helps a local fireworks company host professional shows around the holidays. He’s almost done with his official certification process.

Momeni says fireworks are hard work, but they never get old. Here, he shares his insights into what it’s really like to be a part of this explosive industry.

We’re scientifically legit

Most states have laws against setting off fireworks. In order to do this legitimately you need to become a certified pyrotechnician and make arrangements with local authorities for most shows. All states are different in their requirements to becoming certified, but most involve multi-year hands-on apprenticeships and knowledge tests to make sure you know your craft. There’s a lot of chemistry, physics — and some legalese — involved.

It can get dicey

I’m not really afraid of blowing off fingers or hands. There’s no doubt this is a dangerous thing to do, but if you mind yourself and treat the explosive with respect you minimize the likelihood of injury.

That said, there are all sorts of horror stories the senior members of the community share. One time, a rack of four-inch shells blew apart and shrapnel started flying everywhere. We were backing away from the spot where things were going sideways and the guy next to me fell down for no apparent reason and needed to be dragged away by a few of us. When the smoke cleared we found he had been hit in the knee by a 4-inch-round piece of wood from the rack. Fortunately he was able to walk away.

We love-hate the holidays

As certified pyrotechnicians, we have to deal with most painfully, missing our loved one’s on special holidays. I haven’t spent a 4th of July relaxing and barbecuing with my family in years! This year, I’ll be working July 3 in my hometown of Front Royal and helping a friend with his show in Charlottesville on the 4th.

Related: 10 Places to See Fourth of July Fireworks

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Set up for a friends-and-family fireworks show. (Photo: Maziar Momeni)

It’s a dirty job

Let’s not even talk about how dirty a job it is to manufacture those explosives. Just putting together a show on a hot summer day in a dirt field far away from facilities is pretty harsh. I’ve come home late at night covered in dirt and soot from head to toe. So while you enjoy your beer and wine on your 4th of July picnic, pour a little out for the poor guys and gals doing the grunt work.

It’s sleepless

At the beginning, I didn’t realize after a brutal day of putting together a show and waiting until 9:30 p.m. to shoot it, we have to get up 4 a.m. and go on an first light (sunrise) inspection of the field and make sure there is no unexploded ordnance lying around. Talk about a rude awakening!

Mother nature plays her part in our shows, too. We can start our days with the most beautiful spring/summer/fall weather, only for torrential rains to sweep through and cause panic and chaos. We make contingencies by covering the fireworks but a good soak can ruin a show. After months of planning my pyromusical show in April, it was severely compromised by standing water on the field.

Related: Top 10 Small Town 4th of July Celebrations

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All in a day’s work of soot. (Photo: Maziar Momeni)

We do it for the thrill

There’s no feeling like lighting a fuse that launches a shell from a tube. There’s a visceral thump in your chest when the shell goes up well before it goes “boom” in the sky. During my first show, I fired six-inch shells with a seasoned crew who watched me with a “knowing grin.” That adrenaline rush of dealing with that much explosive power was amazing! I was absolutely hooked from that moment and I have never looked back. I love playing with fire. When I was a kid, I even started a fire in a field of a prominent businessman when I was young and the firefighters caught me red-handed trying to put it out. So I’m a responsible pyro (wink)! Also, I love the Prodigy song “Firestarter.”

We shooters love the cheers from the crowd! With good pacing to a show, you can elicit several roars of approval from a crowd that has been waiting all day to see the sky light up from a safe distance.

We get “high”

Many of my friends in the community (who are the most safety-conscious and generous people you could ever meet) also have a love of the smell of smoke. Standing on the field shooting the show, the smell of the smoke is deeply associated with the adrenaline rush. It is a sweet smell we crave.

Related: Survival Guide for 4th of July

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Lighting up in Pottstown. (Photo: Maziar Momeni)

We’re not crazy

The biggest stereotype is that we’re reckless. Nothing could be further from the truth from those who seek out certification and are members of the pyro community at large.

Our neighbors love us or hate us

Most pyros play it safe and only shoot off fireworks in properly sanctioned area. I live in a neighborhood where I have had the privilege to shoot off some fireworks here and there (we live close enough to our high school that I would fire off a few shells when the football team would win their home games!). And I know while some of my neighbors love this and come out to watch anything I shoot, others probably wish they could get me to stop it already. All of them have been great though and I have not had any visits from the local authorities…well except that one time, but that’s another story!

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