DIFF 2024: 'Palace secrets' revealed for the first time
Báo Thanh niên•27/06/2024
There are hundreds of years old 'fireworks families'; it takes a whole year to create the script for the competition nights; millions of dollars invested in fireworks warehouses, stages, stands... but DIFF has many more 'hidden' stories than that. Behind the 20 minutes of explosive light art in the sky, there are extremely complex 'connections', and also silent contributions...
Da Nang's summer fireworks season is not only "glorious" in the sky but also made up of silent contributions.
400 modules, 8,000 detonators and the most advanced equipment in the world
Before DIFF 2024, many Da Nang residents, despite having decades of experience eating and sleeping with fireworks, never expected the huge amount of fireworks imported and transported to Vietnam to prepare for this international-class festival. If the negotiation and purchasing of fireworks from leading manufacturers; the journey across the sea and thousands of kilometers of road to bring 46,561 fireworks to Da Nang were not convincing enough, Global 2000 experts will point out the strict standards that the DIFF game brings. “DIFF uses the FIRE 1 system, which is the most advanced and reliable fireworks system in the world. We have a very large system here, with more than 400 modules and up to 6 controllers to ensure adequate backup and spare equipment when firing fireworks. Therefore, it can be said that in terms of firing system equipment, DIFF has the best equipment in the world," said Mr. Stuart Bensley - Technical Director of Global 2000 - DIFF's fireworks consulting company.
Da Nang International Fireworks Festival uses the most modern equipment in the world
Fireworks at the highest level are a combination of colors, unique shapes and music. The more creative the lighting "architects" are, the greater the complexity and risk when setting up the display. With the best equipment and materials invested by Sun Group, Global 2000 experts and technicians from the competing teams will perform the final steps to create more than 20 minutes of sublimation for a performance at DIFF. "There are about 400 small computers connected to the system and we have to link them together. Then, all the cables lead to the central control panel so that we can control everything from that area. We have to test the system many times to ensure that every fireworks circuit and every display system is working perfectly before starting the program," said the Global expert.
Teams will connect between 4,500 and 8,000 circuits and detonators to control computers.
Installation of the firing system begins on Monday, the first day the teams arrive on site, and continues until Saturday afternoon before the show. In total, the teams will connect between 4,500 and 8,000 circuits and detonators to the control computers. The biggest risk with fireworks, Stuart said, is always safety. When it comes to explosives, things can be unpredictable. “That’s why we have the best equipment, the best firing systems and the best procedures to mitigate the risks. It’s a job that requires a lot of attention to detail, so the technicians have to work very hard and with a high level of concentration,” he added.
Nearly 2,000 people participated in the organization and their silent contributions
If each securely connected detonator is the foundation for ensuring a perfect fireworks display, then for the DIFF Organizing Committee, the success of the festival also lies in the joy and safety of more than 10,000 people filling the stands each night. More than 1,500 people from all units from fire prevention, security, border defense, medical, logistics... were mobilized by Da Nang city, along with more than 400 officers and employees of Sun Group Corporation, creating a powerful force to ensure a safe and smooth fireworks competition night. Before each competition night, from early afternoon, hundreds of security officers, fire prevention officers, medical staff... were ready to practice for all situations. Despite months of training, coaching and preparation for the biggest possible incidents, DIFF security work always faces unexpected difficult situations.
Security forces, mobile police, fire prevention and fighting teams, medical teams... must gather early to prepare for safety plans and handle any situations that may arise at DIFF.
“The most worrying thing is that there are drunk guests in the stands, causing trouble and affecting the surrounding guests. There was even a drunk guest who shouted that there was a bomb, causing many people to panic. When there is a crowd effect, one person running, many people run too, that is the most fearful thing, so the security team is always on duty at all positions in the stands to be on guard and handle any situation that may occur as quickly as possible,” said Mr. Nguyen Trong Nhat - representative of the DIFF security subcommittee. The dangers that the security subcommittee in general and the security force in particular have to face are countless, because they are so “multi-faceted”. With a large number of spectators gathered in one time frame, in order to avoid unsafe problems such as intruders causing trouble, bringing prohibited items, etc., the work of separating, guiding guests into the stands and checking tickets is always carried out meticulously by the security force. "In addition to controlling the entrance, the principle set to prevent emergencies is to always ensure that the walkways and stairs up and down the stands are clear, creating a path of movement in case of unexpected situations," Mr. Nhat added. Also from noon, when the temperature at the fireworks stands seemed to melt the ground, 150 volunteers from Sun Group's logistics team were present to prepare everything, no matter how small, to welcome guests and serve the audience, from tables, chairs, drinks, to... raincoats.
Behind the joy and radiance of visitors are the silent contributions of the DIFF team.
Rain is the biggest fear for the Organizing Committee. A sudden heavy rain can ruin a fireworks display that has been prepared for months. The fireworks are covered in smoke, the stands are in chaos. That is when hundreds of security and logistics staff are working hard in the rain to ensure safety, security and take care of the audience. “In the middle of the third competition night, it was pouring rain. When all the raincoats had been distributed to the guests, a volunteer came across an old man. He took off his last raincoat to give to the old man, and ran back and forth in the rain, soaking wet. It was a truly touching image,” Ms. Tran Thi Chieu Ly - representative of the DIFF 2024 Logistics Committee tearfully recounted.
DIFF 2024 is still taking place with exciting competition nights, attracting domestic and foreign tourists to Da Nang.
A volunteer gives his raincoat to an elderly person. A soldier stays up all night to guard the fireworks warehouse. A solemn security guard stands with his back to the thousands of fireworks exploding to cover the stands. Many, many short moments and small people like that have made silent contributions to complete the beauty of DIFF. That beauty, is no less sparkling than the dances of light in the sky, the only difference is that it is a quiet beauty that not many people know about.
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