Bill Weimer: Hi, I'm Bill Weimer with Phantom Fireworks talking to you about the selection and use of consumer fireworks. Now we're going to talk about Roman candles. A Roman candle is a wonderful item, typically a cardboard tube about an inch to three quarters of an inch in diameter, filled with individual pyrotechnic charges or shells or balls.

The Roman candle will fire the individual flaming balls 50 to 60 feet downwind. The Roman candles will contain various colors, noises and effects. A Roman candle contains a maximum of 20 grams of pyrotechnic composition. For shooting, the Roman candles should be securely sunk into the ground at least a third of the way at an angle no greater than 75. At 75 a Roman candle will shoot approximately 50 feet downrange. A wide area should be kept clear of people and combustibles that comprise the flight path area for the Roman candle. You should be always be sure, although it's designed to come down cold, it's possible that a flaming ball could actually reach the ground and cause a fire. So you have to be very careful and watch where the flaming projectile will come down. And finally when a Roman candle has expended all its energy, the best practice is to simply douse them with water to make sure it's cooled down and all the embers are out. Now that we've talked about Roman candles and given you some familiarization about them, let's move on to rockets and missiles.