Support for veterans during fireworks
Support for veterans during fireworks
Many former servicemen and women with mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience distress at this time of year.
The smell of lingering smoke, flashes of light, loud explosions, shrill whistles and crackle of fireworks are very similar to the sights, sounds and smells of warfare.
For veterans with PTSD, the brain is tricked into believing they’re hearing mortars overhead, grenades exploding, automatic weapons, bomb explosions, weapons firing and tracer rounds colouring the night sky.
It can be terrifying, leaving the veteran feeling back in a warzone and in real danger, unable to fully distinguish past from present.
“We see a higher rate of distress in veterans accessing our services at this time of year. The sound and sudden unexpected bangs of fireworks can be reminders of frontline combat where they were exposed to the horrors of war in service to this country."
“It’s not so much the colours that trigger me, they can be blocked out, hunker down, draw the curtains, block the flashes out. “The sounds, the unexpected whiz, thumps, cracks, that’s what triggers me …. Being shot at, all you hear is the crack as the bullet passes the sound barrier, the delayed bang from the firing point, it all comes flooding back. The large bangs unexpected, without warning… was it an IED, was it a car bomb in the next street…. My mind works overtime, I can feel myself starting to cough before I physically throw up, I reach for my Vick synex and inhale it to bring my senses back round to the present day, followed by the severe headache. Finally, the smell of cordite, the aftereffects, the wispy haze the fireworks cause.”
Support for veterans during fireworks
Watch the videos below to learn more about what you can do in the build up to, and during, bonfire night:
Part 1
Part 2
If you are a veteran and struggling with your mental health, please contact our free and confidential 24-hour Helpline for confidential advice and support. Call us on 0800 138 1619, text us on 07537 404 719 or email. Family members, friends and carers can also contact us.
We understand fireworks can be difficult, so our specialist clinical team gives the following advice to help you prepare before and during firework season.
“If, and only if, you are confident and able to, in the period leading up to fireworks night you can begin gradually exposing yourself to fireworks in a way that is in your control. You can watch videos or audio clips of fireworks with the sounds turned down, each day gradually turning the volume up as you feel able,
“This gradual and repeated exposure can help the brain to recognise the sights and sounds as safe, loosening the connection with experiences of the past.”
Our Research
Last year, we conducted a survey alongside Help for Heroes, which found that almost three-quarters of the veteran population back a tightening of the current legislation.
74% of the veterans surveyed want to see the days and times when fireworks can be set off restricted further; whilst 67% want a reduction in the overall number of days fireworks can be sold to the public.
Almost a quarter (23%) said fireworks have triggered a negative experience for them personally, ranging from feeling jumpy and hypervigilant through to panic attacks.
“That the majority of the veteran community wants to see tougher restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks is a clear indication of the scale of the problem. We want to see the Government commission this review and show consideration for the negative impact that fireworks can have on society, particularly those who are vulnerable.”
“I was on leave and went to a bonfire night display. A rocket had gone off and I was quivering behind a car. I put on a stiff upper lip and said I was fine, and my family thought I was mucking about being a soldier saying ‘look how quickly he took cover’ – but I wasn’t playing. Suddenly things fell into place, and I started realising I had a problem.”
How YOU can help those affected during firework season
This can already be a challenging time of year for veterans because of the grief surrounding Armistice, so please help us to limit their distress and terror this Bonfire night. Watch the video below to learn what simple steps you can take to help.
“Firework displays bring people together and create a lot of joy for spectators. We don’t want to ruin anyone’s fun, but we urge the public to understand how distressing noisy fireworks can be for military veterans.
Our ask of the UK Government
We continue to call on the UK Government to review the current legislation around fireworks. Currently, legislation permits fireworks to be sold to the public from 15 October to 10 November each year - as well as around other annual festivals such as New Year - so veterans face a challenging month when private ‘backyard’ displays can be set off at any time.
We want to see a review held that takes into account expert testimony and the lived experiences of veterans with complex mental health problems resulting from military trauma. Veterans should have the right to be able to plan for when there will be fireworks near them so they can put coping strategies in place and limit the distress caused to them.
We look forward to further discussions with the Government to bring about this.