Bonfire Night First Aid: What to Do When the Fun Goes Wrong

Bonfire Night falls on Thursday 5 November this year, with Diwali following on Sunday 8 November, so the coming week is full of fireworks, sparklers and bonfires. From Bournemouth seafront to back gardens in Poole, Christchurch, Wimborne and Ferndown, most people will go home with nothing worse than cold toes and smoky hair. A few will end up in A&E. 

NHS figures reported ahead of recent Bonfire Nights put firework injuries seen in A&E at around 2,000 a year, with burns the most common. Eye Health UK says that every year around 10 people in the UK lose their sight and 300 suffer serious eye injuries because of fireworks, with rockets responsible for more than a third of the serious ones. Even the humble sparkler deserves respect. Eye Health UK says it can burn at up to 2,000 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt gold, and it is routinely handed to small children. 

Here is what to do if the evening goes wrong, and a few things worth doing so that it does not. 

Start with the safest option 

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service asks local people to go to an organised display rather than hold their own at home. Watching from behind a cordon is much safer, it takes pressure off the fire service at one of its busiest times of year, and plenty of displays raise money for local causes. There are organised events across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, so check your local listings. 

If you are having fireworks at home, the fire service advice is simple and worth rereading even if you have done it for years. Only adults should set up, light and clear away fireworks 

Light each one at arm's length with a taper and stand well back 

Keep naked flames, cigarettes included, away from fireworks 

Never go back to a firework once it has been lit 

Soak misfired fireworks in a container of water rather than picking them up 

Never use petrol or paraffin on a bonfire, and check that no animals or children are hiding in it before it is lit 

Burns: stop the burning first 

Our trainers put it bluntly on every course. The first job with a burn is to stop it cooking the skin. Heat keeps damaging tissue after the flame has gone, which is why cooling comes before everything else. 

1. Move the person away from the heat source, as long as it is safe for you to do so. 

2. Cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes. Not ice, and not iced water. 

3. Take off jewellery and clothing near the burn, but leave anything that is stuck to the skin where it is. 4. Cover the burn loosely with a sterile, non fluffy dressing or clean cling film. Do not wrap it tightly around a limb. 5. Do not put butter, creams or lotions on it, and do not burst blisters. 

6. Keep the person warm and calm, especially if the burn is large, so that cooling the burn does not chill the whole person. 

Twenty minutes feels like a very long time when someone is in pain. Set a timer on your phone and, if you need to, hand the job of holding the burn under the water to someone else. 

Get medical advice for any significant burn. Call 999 for large or deep burns, burns on the face, hands, feet or genitals, and burns that affect breathing. Always get medical advice for a baby or child who has been burned, however small it looks. 

Sparklers and children 

Sparklers account for a large share of firework burns in children, mostly to the fingers and hands. A few habits make a real difference. 

• Wear gloves when holding sparklers, as NHS advice suggests. 

• Give one sparkler to one child at a time, with an adult watching. 

• Keep children well apart from each other and from anything flammable.

• Put used sparklers into a bucket of water, because the wire stays hot long after the sparks stop.

If a child does get a sparkler burn, the same steps apply. Twenty minutes under cool running water, a loose cover, and then medical advice. 

Eye injuries 

Sparks and debris from fireworks and bonfires can cause serious eye injuries, and this is one area where doing less is often safer. 

1. Tell the person not to rub the eye. 

2. If it is loose debris, gently rinse it away with clean water. 

3. If something is stuck in the eye, leave it where it is. Do not try to remove it and do not press on the eye. 4. Get urgent medical attention for severe pain, any change in vision, or any injury where a firework has struck the eye. For a serious injury, Eye Health UK advises not to rub or rinse the eye or put anything on it. 

If you are unsure how bad an eye injury is, treat it as serious and go to A&E. Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Poole Hospital both have Emergency Departments open 24 hours a day. 

Smoke inhalation 

Smoke from bonfires and fireworks can irritate the airways and, in some circumstances, cause serious harm.

1. Move the person into fresh air, as long as it is safe to do so. 

2. Keep them calm and watch their breathing. 

3. Call 999 if they have difficulty breathing, are confused or drowsy, or have other worrying symptoms.

4. If they become unresponsive and are not breathing normally, call 999 and start CPR, following the call handler's instructions. 

Get your kit ready before the first rocket 

Five minutes of preparation before the display is worth more than any amount of panicking during it.

• Know where the nearest tap or hose is, because cool running water is your most important tool.

• Keep cling film or burn dressings, sterile non fluffy dressings, sterile eye pads and eyewash, and disposable gloves together in one place. 

• Have a torch and a charged phone to hand so you can call 999 quickly.

  
  

If you run a business, club or event, the updated BS8599-1 workplace first aid standard now includes burns kits and eyewash kits where those risks exist. Our post on the 2026 update explains what that means. 

A trainer's note from Bournemouth 

Delegates on our courses often tell us their own stories about burns and the long recovery that follows, and those stories stay with people far longer than any slide. If this Bonfire Night is the week you finally book first aid training, or simply check that the kit in the kitchen drawer has something useful in it, that is a good result for us. Enjoy the fireworks, stand well back, and keep the cling film handy. 

FAQ 

When is Bonfire Night 2026? Thursday 5 November 2026. Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November, so fireworks are likely across the whole week. 

How long should I cool a firework burn? At least 20 minutes under cool running water. Keep going even if it feels like a long time, then cover the burn loosely with cling film or a sterile non fluffy dressing. 

Should I put ice, butter or cream on a burn? No. Ice can damage the skin further, and butter, creams and lotions trap heat and increase the risk of infection. Cool running water is the right treatment. 

What should I do if a firework hits someone in the eye? Do not rub the eye, do not try to remove anything stuck in it and do not press on it. Seek urgent medical attention at A&E or call 999. 

Where can I get first aid training in Bournemouth or Dorset? Cracking Training runs NUCO FAA regulated Emergency First Aid at Work and Paediatric First Aid courses across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch, Wimborne, Ferndown and the wider Dorset area. See our upcoming courses or get in touch to book. 

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Cracking Training's courses are NUCO FAA regulated and taught in small groups by trainers with real life experience, right here in Bournemouth and across Dorset. Certification is valid for three years and we do not charge VAT. See our upcoming courses or get in touch to be ready for whatever the evening throws at you.