Orion Pyrotechnics
info@orionpyro.com

Olympia


T: 360.791.5055

F: 360.455.0998

 

Recruiting

It takes several people to put together an aerial fireworks show.  Orion Pyrotechnics is always looking for individuals that are interested in the world of pyrotechnics. If you are interested, please fill out the application below and we will contact you.

What to expect when you volunteer to help

For years the larger displays have been fired electrically. Each device is fitted with an "electric match" or "squib" that is connected to an electronic firing panel that may be several hundred feet away from the fireworks. Each flip of a switch ignites some piece of magical fire. Although several shows are still done the "old fashioned way" by hand firing each display piece, electronic firing is much safer and is the preferred method. After each piece is fitted with an "electric match", the wires must be routed and landed and then a continuity test is performed. Once everything has tested okay, it's time to wait for the show to begin. For more information on what to expect see "First Shell Jitters" below.

* All Fields are Required

First Name:* 
Last Name: *
Address Line 1: *
Address Line 2:
City:*   State:*  
Zip Code: *
Email Address:*
Telephone Number:*  () -
Are you a Licensed Pyrotechnician?

YES 

NO  If yes, Enter Your License Number:
Birth date:* (you must be over the age of 21 to work with fireworks)
 
Pre-Screen Questionnaire:*
Please provide a yes or no answer to each of the following questions:  
a. Are you a fugitive from Justice?
b. Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, or narcotic drug, or an other controlled substance?
c. Are you under indictment or information in any court for a felony, or any crime, for which the judge could imprison that person for more than one year?
d. Are you an alien in the United States?
e. Are you presently appealing a conviction of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding 1 year.
   
Have you EVER:  
a. been convicted in any court of a felony, or  any other crime for which the judge could have imprisoned you for more than one year, even if you received a shorter sentence, including probation?
b. Been adjudicated mentally defective (which includes having been adjudicated incompetent to manage your own affairs) or been committed to a mental institution.
c. been discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions?
d. Renounced your United States Citizenship?
   
   
Do you have any previous pyrotechnic experience? Please describe below.

     

The first shell jitters

Before electrical firing became the preferred method, it was "in your face" fireworks. Our first chance to send the big shells upward will never be forgotten, something we expect every pyrotechnician will  agree with. As part of a firing crew, you are much closer to the fireworks than the audience is, but still expected to stay at a safe distance.  You await your chance to fire the "big ones", and then it comes. You are handed a highway flare for the first time, expected to walk up to the firing line and make the magic happen.

You are no longer a hundred feet away, or fifty, or even ten. The fuse only extends a few inches out of each mortar. You step up to the mortar line, crouch down, and make sure you head and body are well away from the mouth of the mortar. Your free hand removes the safety cap from one shell and then your other hand touches the flare to that little black fuse. You now only have time to turn your back to the mortar and take a crouched step or two away. The fuse burns slowly for a few seconds, but once it enters the paper fuse tube the wait is over. The fuse starts to burn at sixty feet per second, so it's just a few thousandths of a second before WHAM, the shell is on its way up.

You hear and FEEL the explosion that propels the shell skyward. The audience hears a WHUMP, but you feel a whump and hear a BOOM. Your heart races as adrenalin rushes throughout your body and adds to the excitement. You have just done something that very few people ever get the chance to experience. You now want to fire the next shell now and it is an even larger diameter shell. The "first shell jitters" are over, but you are still VERY cautious.

On it goes, shell by shell, as long as your first turn as a firer lasts. Only when you pass the fire off to someone else, or the display ends, do you realize how pumped you are and how potentially dangerous what you have done for the first time really is. The exhilaration is incredible but you have already realized it is a truly serious job that requires one to be extremely safety conscious ABSOLUTELY EVERY TIME a fuse is lit.

Orion Pyrotechnics truly understands how exciting and challenging the field of pyrotechnics is.  We are always excited to share our experience with others. 

Each show is a learning session for new recruits. You will learn about fireworks safety, how the effects work, and possibly a little history of pyrotechnics along the way.  

 

© 2002 Orion Pyrotechnics
Last Updated: Tuesday, June 26, 2007

If you have questions or comments regarding this site email us: webmaster