Additional Information
How do you get started in this business? "Get in contact with a local fireworks
company and ask them if they'll let you help them on their next show. Don't
expect to get paid for it though, especially if it's your first time out,"
says pyrotechnician Andrew Krywonizka.
"You most likely won't even get to handle the fireworks for the first few
shows. Most of your work would include digging holes for the mortars, carrying
set pieces and other equipment, filling sandbags and crowd control. Once you
get an idea of how a show goes, and this may take a few years, they might
let you shoot some shells or even do shows by yourself."
Debi Dunn is the only female who works for one fireworks company. "It was
a little struggle for me the first year I worked for them. They weren't used
to having a woman around and didn't think a woman could do it," she says.
"My best advice for a female who wants to do this is to get in there, give
it your all and show them that you're not messing around. It's a lot of hard
work, and you've got to be willing to do it."
Because the pyrotechnics industry is relatively small and largely family
owned, academic training is not a common pathway. Most pyrotechnicians learn
by working under an experienced, licensed pyrotechnician. That way they earn
valuable experience plus a reputation in the field.