Fireworks as cheap flares?

Well July 1st in Canada (plus Victoria Day May 21st) and July 4th in the US is coming soon, and most convenience stores and other stores will be stocking up with fireworks.

During various survival scenarios, a flare gun could be useful. However, they can be expensive. I think that fireworks could be a cheap alternative, whether it is just a single strobe-like air burst, or a roman candle that repeats 8-12 times. Flare guns can cost $50 - $100, while you can get small fireworks as cheap as a pack of 6 for 99 cents, and roman candles normally work out to about a dollar each.

Pros:
- Cheap
-Signalling during emergencies to planes, helicopters, etc.
- Good identification if your team gets lost/split up
- Can be used psychologically to keep people at bay.
- Use one as a decoy to throw off pursuers.
- Potentially use as a weapon at close-range if you had to, although not very effective or practical. (Doubles as a stun grenade if thrown into an enclosed area.)

Cons:
- Alerts everyone within miles as to your exact location, which you may not want. (Police, military, other individuals that want your supplies, attracts the curious, etc.)

So what does everyone say? Could it be a good idea to have a roman candle or two in each of your

Intersting, but what is the self life of fireworks in comparison to a signal flare? Otherwise they seem to be a cheaper alternative if you can get them in the area you live.

Would have thought that providing you keep it dry, a firework could last quite a long time. All it is made of is cardboard and gunpowder, isn't it?

On the matter of using them as a stun grenade, I think, depending on what you have to hand, you may well do more than stun. Some fireworks are pretty powerful and could easily take off appendages. They are, after all, explosives. Here in the UK, around November 5th and now Diwali, there are always people getting maimed, or even killed, by buggering around with fireworks and not be careful.

I can't see why it couldn't be used in a really tight spot, but they are by no means ideal.

I wouldn't go for the single shot type of roman candles, if you can get ones that are like 8 shots of a single colour which may be better for attracting rescuers.

They are by no means perfect though as they don't gain much hight and the duration of burn is short.

Other uses, I Doubt they have any serious use as weapons unless you really plan on ripping them apart to make some sort of explosive device. However if your planning on havign enough to make a viable device your going to be carrying alot of fireworks indeed.

Just like everything in survival its about ballancing what you can afford against what you need. I geuss they could be used in a pinch, and maybe they have other uses like starting fires really fast with wet tinder or something.

I love fireworks so im off to pack some in my survival kit just for teh sake of it

Originally posted by stumason
On the matter of using them as a stun grenade, I think, depending on what you have to hand, you may well do more than stun. Some fireworks are pretty powerful and could easily take off appendages.

If your stupid enough to hold onto them at the business end yeah, but have you seen Jackass - or similar videos - where peopel shoot roman candles at eachother? Not really enough to properly hurt anyone.

If you really want to use fireworks as offensive weapons, they become too large to carry arrounfd in a survival situation?

Shooting a firework at someone may burn or temporarily blind them, but that wasn't what I intended. Although simply seeing someone shoot one at you would be enough to make you hit the ground and leave you vulnerable. Moreso the noise of fireworks that are specifically designed to scream or have loud bursts would definately be enough to temporarily (or permanentally) damage hearing if thrown into a room. There are also some that sound remarkably like falling artillery that could have people scrambling for cover as well.

Think of someone sneaking up behind you and blowing an airhorn after you have been in complete silence. It will take you at least a few seconds to compose your wits, if you haven't rolled up into a ball on the floor covering your ears.

[edit on 12-5-2007 by Yarcofin]

That may be a good idea but here in NY they are illegal. But if they are legal in your area it might not be a bad idea for a firestarter or a signal too.

Originally posted by enjoies05
That may be a good idea but here in NY they are illegal. But if they are legal in your area it might not be a bad idea for a firestarter or a signal too.

Yeah, here the local laws say you can only buy them 7 days or less before a national holiday. I don't think it's legal to use them any other time, either.

I honesly don't think its pratical to carry the types of fireworks arround with you in a survival situation.

What you could do is have a few stocked at a secure location if you really wanted. Like one of these, That is a fairly small example of that type of firework and could cause you an injury for sure.

The larger versions of these are truly amazing i bought some last year, and they actualy make the ground shake when the man charge goes off - so good for a diversion or sumthing - but very bulky to carry arround on the off chance u might need it.

You have to keep these things dry aswell, or you mightaswell have packed a brick, they just don't work when they get wet.

Originally posted by manta
Other uses, I Doubt they have any serious use as weapons unless you really plan on ripping them apart to make some sort of explosive device. However if your planning on havign enough to make a viable device your going to be carrying alot of fireworks indeed.

Ok, you must have some weak fireworks! We can buy rockets over here that, if your stood next too one when it detonates, will take off a limb or even kill you. It happens.

I didn't realise we were just looking at roman candles, which in all honesty as a keen firework user (November the 5th is great!) are the one's I hate the most. Boring and dull. Give me the big uber-rockets any day! Cost a pretty penny though.....

Originally posted by stumason
Ok, you must have some weak fireworks! We can buy rockets over here that, if your stood next too one when it detonates, will take off a limb or even kill you. It happens.

I didn't realise we were just looking at roman candles, which in all honesty as a keen firework user (November the 5th is great!) are the one's I hate the most. Boring and dull. Give me the big uber-rockets any day! Cost a pretty penny though.....

were from the same part of the world i also love Nov 5th and i Totaly agree that fireworks are lethal. I was however talking more about roman candles fairly harmless compaired to the other monsters you can get.

I don't believe it is practical to trail a 5ft long rocket arround with you in a survial situation, where as the Mine i posted about earlier or a roman candle is fairly compact.

I have been hit by a fairly large roman candle in the chest after one tipped over and it just bounced off leaving a very small burn on my fleece and would not consider them lethal unless you stuck it some place unnatural...

Maybe im the one missing the point of this thread i donno, I realise it is possible to get fireworks powerfull enough to do serious damage but they would be massive and impractical IMHO

What do you guys think? Maybe have em stored at yoru secure location or something?

Ah yes, it would be rather cumbersome to carry around a bunch o'rockets!!

Didn't think too much about that....

Well the professional display style mortar shells that travel 300-500+ in the air before exploding in starburst are quite impressive and run about 10-20 dollars each. While not the easiest items to purchase they are far easier to buy than handgrenades and would do quite a bit of damage when thrown into a room or other small space.

They also sell a somewhat less profession version mortar shell that I would not want to be in an enclosed space with either. I think they run about 5-10 dollars each.

Smaller scale fireworks, even the "safe" ones like smokebombs and sparklers have their uses as well. Hard to breathe in thick sulpherous smoke. Shaving sparklers into a pile makes for a great firestarter or other more creative uses that would be wrong to describe so we can still buy them in no firework states.

I think they'd definitely be a good asset in your more long term survival stores - not so much for your BoB, but for a home base cache, definitely useful..

As someone else said, airtight and dry should be fine for storage - tins would be perfect..

Unless you're wanting to distract potential intruders for a few minutes with a local-church-type pyrotechnic display they can go "ooooh" and "aaah" at whilst you escape. I'd suggest buying up as many large banger-type pyros when the shops open for trade just before the 5th...strip down all the blackpowder and save to make something that really goes *bang* (and makes your would be intruders go "arrrrghhhh" "uuuurrrgh" and "aieeeeee" instead)

Originally posted by citizen smith
Unless you're wanting to distract potential intruders for a few minutes with a local-church-type pyrotechnic display they can go "ooooh" and "aaah" at whilst you escape.

Ever noticed how much like explosions some of these fireworks can sound like? All you might need is a few seconds where you can make them take cover and wonder wtf is going on. If anyone fired a large firework at me, i would be more than a little frightened.

I had a fairly large garden rocket get stuck in a tube once, went off right above my head. I felt pieces hit my back and the noise was incredibly loud, if that happened when i was trying to attack someone i would not be in the mood to get right back up and chase them.

The idea here, as with everything in survival, is making odo with what you can get. Can you get grenades, C4 and detonators etc to set up a proper explosion? I bet you can't, so the idea is to use what you can get to fillin for what you can't. Not perfect but what else you gonan do?

Originally posted by manta
The idea here, as with everything in survival, is making do with what you can get. Can you get grenades, C4 and detonators etc to set up a proper explosion? I bet you can't

There are enough electrical and mechanical components in the average home that could be utilised to make a claymore...just add the black-powder and you have a lethal device.