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Remember, remember the 5th of November (for the right reasons)!

Guy Fawkes Night is one of the most anticipated celebrations of the season.

Wicklow RNLI lifeboat with fireworks in the background

Photo: Tommy Dover

We love a good bonfire and are lucky to have fab firework displays close to stations around the UK and Ireland.

But our volunteer crews are also on duty on the 5th of November, and almost a quarter of all callouts are false alarms.

Please help us spread the word this year with our three tips to make it memorable for the right reasons (and help our crews to enjoy theirs too!).

1. Lovely lanterns

Beautiful floating Chinese lanterns can lead to false alarms for lifeboat crew and other search and rescue agencies, as well as being a fire hazard and a threat to marine and other wild life. Remember: What goes up must come down. If you do plan on releasing these lanterns near the coast, let the Coastguard know when and where.

Try an alternative: Traditional Chinese lanterns, which hang in trees.

2. False flares

Flares are designed to be fired over water. If fired over land they can cause serious burns or fires. A vital piece of safety equipment for those at sea, it is illegal to fire them in non-distress situations.

Read all about it:

ROSPA advice on firework safety

3. Distressing diversions

Bonfire Night is a big night for unnecessary callouts. Flares and lanterns are easily mistaken for distress signals and each call has to be investigated. This diverts crew away from genuine emergencies and can mean an exhaustive search in challenging conditions.

Spread the word: Share this information with others. With a domino effect we can minimise the amount of false alarms

Join us

This year, Flint RNLI in North Wales are holding their 15th annual firework display at Flint Castle. Join them on Friday evening for fireworks, food, a fire, a fairground and lots of family fun.

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