It’s the time of year when residents raise some issues around firework displays and bonfires. The Scottish Fire & Rescue Service issue very good advice on staying safe and encourage people to attend organised events. Although there are a number of nearby events, Westhill has not held an organised public bonfire or firework display for many years now and I know this is something many residents would welcome. Any public event would need good organisation as well as public liability insurance, but lots of communities manage to put on a great display.
There is always concern over pets at this time of year as they can get very distressed by sudden, prolonged and loud noises. There have been horrific stories in the news about members of the public and fire officers being injured by anti-social use of fireworks.
Whether you love fireworks or dread the weeks leading up to 5th November, I would like to hear your views. Please complete the attached survey.
We travel to Banchory each year as do many others from Westhill and nearby. The event has been going on for 35 years successfully. Local schools & clubs get involved too. To have a locally organised event would be welcome. So many small communities do this, why shouldn’t we.
I do enjoy a good fireworks display that is professionally put together what I don’t like is normal joe public settings off fireworks at all times of the evening. I have s dog that is absolutely petrified of the noise and actually slipped his lead and ran off in the early evening on Wednesday as a firework went off just before 5pm, he crossed old skene road and hays way by himself and appeared at the bottom of our drive in Morven drive. The thought that he could have been involved in an accident or even worse cause an accident was quite frightening.
I think manufacturers have made fireworks louder over the years and at times it sounds like a war zone, it would be brilliant if shops could sell ones that don’t make noise that would be perfect and would cause less stress and diazepam for my fur baby. I noticed that somewhere in Italy banned the use of noisy fireworks, time this country did the same.
Would happily prefer an organised display, would hopefully reduce the amount of people letting them off in their gardens before, during and after bonfire night, which prolongs the fright for people’s pets.
I think fire work should be banned from public sale. They should be for private display only.
We need to ensure someone is home in the evening over this fortnight as someone needs to be at home with Poppy dog! The general sale of fire works enables them to be let off at any time for days/weeks on end. Leaving my pops very unsettled.
As I am a dog owner why why are fireworks sold before the 5 th as you get irresponsible people who think it’s funny to set off a firework at a late o’clock my poor dog is so out of sorts and cannot settle why in this day and age are they not silent I realise that’s part of the feature but you would still get the same outcome visually
I love to look at them and nothing beats the displays in Florida but more so now they can be very loud and can give us adults a scare with thuds and extreme bangs there has been cases of dog deaths with the shock of the noise I also wonder about wildlife and farm animals who are outside and how it affects them
I hate the distress to animals , noise & danger associated with fireworks but fireworks are pretty and i appreciate a lot of people love them .. can we not go “ silent” & set a precedent for the future ?..
Would love to see one in Westhill
Would not enjoy so band if it wasn’t only one night but it goes on for weeks. 3 days in a row my dogs have been scared and won’t go out and toilet. Would love the people setting off the fireworks to come and clean it up.
I think it would be a very good idea, as long as it would also come with a ban on individuals to send up fireworks, or at least have a specific date and time range when it could be done.
As it is now, bonfire night has now become bonfire fortnight, making it impossible for people who dislike fireworks to go away or to take animals out of harms way.