"Découvertes", a high-quality scientific television program broadcast on CBC French-network, will present Sunday, September 13, at 6:30pm, a report about the fireworks and security issue. The report should then be available for viewing on the program website:

http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/decouverte/2008-2009/

Fred

A very nice documentary from the Découverte team. I was not aware that Yanick Roy lost a good friend during an explosion at Royal's factory back in 1999. This tragic accident seems to be the cause of the interdiction to e-match the pyrotechnic shells in a factory rather than on-site.

Yet, Royal used the IPS (Install, plug, shoot) technique for their prestation at l'International this year. Weren't the shells pre-ematched this time ?

It seems that Paul Csukassy (technical director at l'International) gives the pyrotechnician course. As I've subscribed to the course given on September 24th in Chambly, I can't help but wonder if he's gonna be the man in charge that time !

STL, counting the days to the pyro course !

EDIT : Forgot to thank Fred. I would have missed the report otherwise !

Unfortunatley I forgot to watch the documentary. I was too busy playing with compositions...all of a sudden, I decided to take a look at the forum, and realized the show ended. I really wish I could have seen it, is there a video on YouTube that will be posted to this subject? Or any video on Radio-Canada.ca? I wonder. If anyone can let me know, give me a shout!

Pat

Yet, Royal used the IPS (Install, plug, shoot) technique for their prestation at l'International this year. Weren't the shells pre-ematched this time ?
There were no shells in those "IPS" setups - just one-shots, mines and candles. The risk with shells is the ematches installed in the shell leaders can be crushed, causing them to initiate. Many one-shot devices have a special receptacle for the ematch that is safe for transport.


It seems that Paul Csukassy (technical director at l'International) gives the pyrotechnician course. As I've subscribed to the course given on September 24th in Chambly, I can't help but wonder if he's gonna be the man in charge that time !

Where did you get this information from? As far as I understand, all fireworks display supervisor courses ( you have to use the correct names here as the pyrotechnics course is for indoor special effects) are given by employees of Natural Resources Canada. Pierre Michaud, based in St Hyancinthe, usually delivers the French courses. Rachel Robbins, based out of Ottawa, replaced John Hendricks to deliver the English courses across the rest of Canada.


This tragic accident seems to be the cause of the interdiction to e-match the pyrotechnic shells in a factory rather than on-site.
I thought this accident was related to returning unfired shells back to storage that had their ematches still in place - either dropping the shells or removing the ematch being the cause of initiation. Removing an ematch from a shell is a risky procedure and, ideally, is done whilst the shell is still in its mortar (so that if it does initiate, at least it goes in a controlled direction).

Paul.

Where did you get this information from? As far as I understand, all fireworks display supervisor courses ( you have to use the correct names here as the pyrotechnics course is for indoor special effects)

From the Découvertes report. We see Paul Csukassy supervising students that fire their first bomb manually with a flare and giving satefy tips about how fast it starts once the leader is lighted.

As for the Pyro course name, this is my mistake ! I am indeed going to the fireworks display supervisor course (named Pièces pyrotechniques à grand déploiement in French).

STL

From the Découvertes report. We see Paul Csukassy supervising students that fire their first bomb manually with a flare and giving satefy tips about how fast it starts once the leader is lighted.


Interesting! Hopefully they will put the video up on their website (I don't have a TV so have to watch stuff online).

I am indeed going to the fireworks display supervisor course
Good luck with the course (and the three subsequent apprentice shows you'll need to work on to get your card).

Paul.

Interesting! Hopefully they will put the video up on their website (I don't have a TV so have to watch stuff online).

Yes, as long as you have Microsoft Silverlight installed. It's available here.

Mylene told me that judges get a basic training (they manipulate bombs to see what it looks like). I wonder if the training seen in Découverte is for the judges or for "real" apprentices.

Good luck with the course (and the three subsequent apprentice shows you'll need to work on to get your card).

Thanks a lot ! I will try to contact Royal, but it seems that it's difficult to work for them at the apprentice level. Otherwise, there are a lot of firms that I can work for (Ampleman, B.E.M and Fiatlux, namely). Hopefully, I will manage to make my 3 shows relatively quickly.

STL

Je pense qu'il y avait une erreur dans le reportage de "Découverte" car j'ai reconnu, parmi ces "apprentis" artificiers, des membres de l'équipe des artificiers de La Ronde. Je soupçonne donc qu'il s'agissait davantage d'une formation d'appoint effectuée par Paul Csukassy au début de chaque saison avec son équipe d'artificiers, et non pas d'individus qui suivent le cours du ministère des Ressources naturelles.

Il y avait également une autre erreur factuelle, lorsque le narrateur évoque les "20 minutes" pendant lesquelles dure le spectacle pyrotechnique.

Il était intéressant de voir des images tournées dans la régie de mise à feu pendant le spectacle. Je pense que le tournage a eu lieu le soir du feu d'ouverture (Panzera), car on entend une musique d'anniversaire. J'ai été surpris que M. Dubeau, responsable de la sécurité incendie à la ville de Montréal, ne soit pas interviewé car il est très impliqué dans ce dossier. Étonnant, aussi, qu'on n'est pas parlé de l'incident survenu lors de la destruction des pièces pyrotechniques l'automne dernier, à La Ronde. Mais bon, un reportage ne peut tout couvrir...

Fred

Il était intéressant de voir des images tournées dans la régie de mise à feu pendant le spectacle. Je pense que le tournage a eu lieu le soir du feu d'ouverture (Panzera), car on entend une musique d'anniversaire.

Oui, c'est effectivement le spectacle d'ouverture. Juste à écouter la trame sonore et à la comparer au listing officiel de La Ronde pour le confirmer !

Je pense qu'il y avait une erreur dans le reportage de "Découverte" car j'ai reconnu, parmi ces "apprentis" artificiers, des membres de l'équipe des artificiers de La Ronde. Je soupçonne donc qu'il s'agissait davantage d'une formation d'appoint effectuée par Paul Csukassy au début de chaque saison avec son équipe d'artificiers, et non pas d'individus qui suivent le cours du ministère des Ressources naturelles.

Pourtant, l'allumage manuel des pièces pyrotechniques est pour ainsi dire absent du travail des artificiers de La Ronde... Je comprends qu'une mèche brûle vite, mais généralement ces artificiers sont en sécurité dans la salle de contrôle quand les pièces sont mises à feu, pas en train de courir sur les rampes avec une torche à la main !

pas en train de courir sur les rampes avec une torche à la main
I believe that in the first year of the competition in 1985, hand lighting was used!!!

There was another error in that documentary when they talked about the disaster in Enschede- the narrator said it was a factory for making fireworks - this is not the case. It was a storage warehouse. Now there was some controversy after the disaster that they might have been manufacturing "ice fountains" illegally, but the building itself was not what would be considered a fireworks factory by any stretch of the imagination.

All this goes to show that it is very difficult for journalists and reporters to make their stories accurate. Always bear this in mind when reading anything in a newspaper or magazine and especially when watching anything on TV

As for the fireworks display in the documentary, it was definitely this year's Panzera opening. Eric Cardinal (supplier of FireOne firing equipment) is clearly seen as well as Pierpaolo Serafino - and the music used at the started was "happy birthday".

Paul.

Where did you get this information from? As far as I understand, all fireworks display supervisor courses ( you have to use the correct names here as the pyrotechnics course is for indoor special effects)

From the Découvertes report. We see Paul Csukassy supervising students that fire their first bomb manually with a flare and giving satefy tips about how fast it starts once the leader is lighted.

As for the Pyro course name, this is my mistake ! I am indeed going to the fireworks display supervisor course (named Pièces pyrotechniques à grand déploiement in French).

I had the answer yesterday during the Fireworks Display Course : Pierre Michaud gave the training as usual, but Paul Csukassy was in charge of the demonstration. Like fredbastien said, it was primarily for La Ronde crew, but the remaining places were sold to people as a regular fireworks course.