Dedicated pair to light up night sky

Charlie Turgeon has been setting up the Canada Day fireworks ever since the town started having them about 25 years ago.
His partner, Bill Caul, isn’t sure but he figures he’s been at it for about nine or 10 years now.
These two men—along with several members of Caul’s family— are responsible for getting Fort Frances’ fireworks display set up, lit up, and taken down safely every year.
Turgeon is a retired firefighter while Caul, as superintendent of the Fort Frances Airport, is certified to respond to aircraft fire. So both men are personally acquainted with fire.
Because of strict laws regarding the handling of fireworks, Turgeon’s level of certification dictates how elaborate the pyrotechnics display will be.
Four years ago, Turgeon was limited to working with shells from 55-155 mm (or about two-six inches) in diameter. He since has been re-certified, and now can handle shells up to 305 mm in diameter (12 inches).
The town’s annual fireworks displays used to be held at the government dock by La Place Rendez- Vous. Turgeon and Caul also used to use hand firing—the method used for personal firecrackers— when setting off the explosives.
“You have to put the shell in a mortar. Then we used to creep up to it, put fire to it, and run like hell,” Turgeon laughed. While no one was ever hurt using this common method, he admitted there occasionally were some close calls.
Now, everything is controlled electronically. “It’s safer, but it’s a lot more work,” Caul said.
Indeed. Using hand firing, the two men and a few volunteers could get the whole thing set up in about eight hours. Now, they have to start setting up three days beforehand.
Even with eight people working 12 hours a day, it still takes the crew three days to get everything ready. That totals 288 hours of work—all for about 20 minutes of fireworks.
Since converting to electronic firing, and working with much larger explosives, the location of the fireworks had to be moved. “The larger you get, the more distance you need between the crowd and the firing line,” Turgeon explained.
That’s why the fireworks have been set up at “Seven Oaks” (Pither’s Point) for the last few years. “We can keep the people back a safe distance,” he said.
But finding volunteers to help with the set-up has not been easy.
“I could never get enough people,” Turgeon said, referring to the years before he hooked up with Caul. “I don’t think people realize the work it takes to set this up.”^“What they see is the finished product,” he added.
Finding volunteers has been so difficult that the men even have enlisted the help of Caul’s parents— both in their 80s—as well as other members of his family.
“If it weren’t for them, there would be no fireworks,” Turgeon stressed, adding he can understand why people are hesitant to volunteer.
“No one wants to give up the first of July.”^While extra help is needed to set up and take down the equipment, which includes mortars up to four feet high and some 50 cubic yards of sand, final decisions about weather conditions and safety are up to the certified operator: Turgeon.
“If it rains, we have to scramble to cover everything up. If it gets wet, it’s finished,” he remarked.
“The container that holds the explosive is made of paper and it degrades with moisture,” noted Caul. “It’s nothing to fool around with.”^And after all this, the pair don’t even get to enjoy the fruits of their labour. “We’ve never seen the fireworks because we’re so busy,” said Turgeon.
But he added he derives his satisfaction “seeing the people’s faces lit up on the shore.”