Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Shortage of Pyrotechnics Experts

Aloha Everyone,

From shortages of teachers to airline pilots, supermarket clerks to hotel workers, all of us have one way or another been impacted by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. So it’s not surprising to learn that there were not enough licensed pyrotechnic experts to do the American tradition of 4th of July fireworks. Some communities canceled this popular annual event or rescheduled for the 3rd or 5th.

J.J. and I watched two nationally televised 4th of July fireworks. Displays in Washington DC, with the Lincoln and Washington memorials as background, were absolutely outstanding and impressive. In comparisons, displays that lit the New York skyline were scattered, diminutive in scale as well as in designs and colors.

Pyrotechnics jobs are mostly seasonal and part-time. In 2020, the pyrotechnics industry lost 90% of their revenues. (Source:  American Pyrotechnic Association -NPR-01/07/22)

Aloha -- Cathi