Pyro gets to light up the skies

YAKIMA, Wash. — Big kids with big toys -- that's how Bill Petersen views his job of lighting fireworks.

The licensed pyrotechnic has been doing it since 1979, when he returned home to Prosser after spending three years in the military.

"Usually when you're in the military, things were blowing up around you all the time and coming to Prosser was really a culture shock," says Petersen, who is 52.

On Friday, he and his crew produced the show in Naches. Tonight he and his crew of nine will be in charge of a fireworks show in Prosser.

They're scheduled to set off some 700 shells -- shipped from China and manually lit with roadside flares -- during a 30-minute show.

Other part-time pyrotechnics like him are responsible for lighting up many of the firework shows across the state.

Here's some of what Petersen shared about the job:

How do you set up for a show like tonight?

We have to get there, mark our territory, see where the spectators are going to be, where the fall-outs going to be, mark the closest buildings and hazards.

The bigger the show, the longer the set-up. Prosser usually takes 10 hours of setup to do a 30-minute show.

It's a lot of work. Then you have to take it all down, haul it off and store it.

What kind of training do you need for the job?

Nowadays if someone wants to get a license you have to do six fireworks shows with a licensed operator, and have letters of recommendation from two different licensed pyros to apply for the state written test. (Licenses are issued by the state fire marshal in Olympia.)

Do you prefer doing small shows or large shows?

As a licensed technician, we like doing those small shows. We can hear our spectators ... the oohs and aahs. You can hear what they like.

And our spectators can see us. They can feel the percussion of the rounds leaving the mortars.

What sort of feelings do you hope people have when they watch your fireworks show?

We try to keep an active sky throughout the show -- a slow fireworks show is boring. The last thing you want is dead sky.

We may build it up to a point, and we do different types of things, slow it down for a bit, then a the grand finale unleash a barrage of things that hopefully the general public gets amused by.

We do it as most exciting as possible and as safely as possible. We're just responsible for unleashing the colors in the skies.

What do you do to have fun with the crowd?

We do something called the mid-finale. Sometimes people pick up their picnic basket, thinking it's over, and then we start again. And they think, 'Oh we've been tricked.' We can hear the surprise from the crowd.

And that's how we can kind of play that way, and we usually do.

Do you ever miss just getting to lay back and just watch the show?

Yes. I haven't seen a Fourth of July since 1979. I actually drive to special events to watch them, on New Year's or something like that.

What do you do when you're not setting fireworks?

I manage the Prosser school bus transportation system.

And in my spare time, I'm a volunteer firefighter. Half my crew actually are volunteer firefighters. I just tell them that they have balance in their lives -- they're paid to put fires out and they're paid to start them.

* Melissa Sánchez can be reached at 509-577-7675 or msanchez@yakimaherald.com.

Where to watch tonight

• Free fireworks displays around the Yakima Valley:

* Yakama Nation Legends Casino in Toppenish, beginning at dusk

* Prosser High School's Art Fiker Stadium, starting about 9:45 p.m.

* West Ellensburg Neighborhood Park, beginning at 10 p.m.

* State Fair Park in Yakima, starting at 10 p.m.

For descriptions of these and other Fourth of July events, go to yakimaherald.com and click the ON magazine logo at the bottom of the page

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