WAC 212-17-317   Public display -- Electrical firing unit.  (1) At no point shall electrical contact be allowed to occur between any wiring associated with the electrical firing unit and any metal object in contact with the ground.

     (2) If the electrical firing unit is powered from AC power lines, some form of line isolation shall be employed (e.g., a line isolation transformer).

     (3) The electrical firing unit shall include a key operated switch or other similar device that greatly reduces the possibility that unauthorized or unintentional firings can occur.


Exception: When the electrical firing unit is very small in size, and is only in the immediate area and attached to the wire running to electric matches for the brief duration of the actual firing, there is no requirement for a key operated switch.

     (4) Manually activated electrical firing units shall be designed such that at least two positive actions must be taken to apply electric current to an electric match. For example, this might be accomplished with two switches in series, both of which must be operated in order to pass current.

     (5) Computer activated electrical firing units shall have some form of "dead-man-switch," such that all firings will cease the moment the switch is released.

     (6) If the electrical firing unit has a built-in test circuit, the unit shall be designed to limit the test current (into a short circuit) to 0.05 ampere or to twenty percent of the no-fire current of the electric match, whichever is less. Multitesters such as Volt-Ohm Meters shall not be used for testing unless their maximum current delivering potential has been measured and found to meet these requirements.

     (7) When any testing of firing circuits is performed, no person shall be allowed to be present in the immediate area of fireworks that have been attached to the electrical firing unit.



[Statutory Authority: Chapters 43.43 and 70.77 RCW. 05-12-033, § 212-17-317, filed 5/24/05, effective 6/24/05. Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.77 RCW. 90-10-006 (Order 90-02), § 212-17-317, filed 4/19/90, effective 5/20/90.]