What is the name of the occupation for someone whose job it is to set up a fireworks display, fire it off for an event such as July 4th, and then tear it down? I have informally heard them called "pyros" but this seems to be more jargon than an actual name of an occupation.
asked Jul 4, 2014 at 21:43
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2A 'fire worker'!– ChloeCommented Jul 5, 2014 at 0:06
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Aside from a "risk-taker?" :P– apnortonCommented Jul 5, 2014 at 17:06
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1A Firecracker! - "He's a real firecracker, that one." Politics and the entertainment world are of full of people who "shoot fireworks professionally"... :P– VectorCommented Jul 5, 2014 at 21:24
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5 Answers
Pyro is quite simply a shortening of the more ‘proper’ term, which is a pyrotechnician (also sometimes, though more rarely, called a pyrotechnist):
a person who is responsible for the safe storage, handling, and functioning of pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic devices.
Note that pyro can also be (and colloquially is probably more likely to be) a shortened form of pyromaniac, which is someone who likes to set things on fire. If context does not clearly show which you mean, you should always use the full word lest you be misunderstood.
answered Jul 4, 2014 at 21:49
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2Arguably, the two mentioned expansions of pyro can overlap. Commented Jul 5, 2014 at 11:27
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I wonder if the TF2 Pyro means pyromaniac or pyrotechnician.– KeavonCommented Jul 6, 2014 at 19:04
A pyrotechnician :
is a person who is responsible for the safe storage, handling, and functioning of pyrotechnics and pyrotechnic devices. Although the term is generally used in reference to individuals who operate pyrotechnics in the entertainment industry, it can include all individuals who regularly handle explosives. For the purposes of disambiguation, however, individuals who handle more powerful materials for commercial, demolition, or military applications are generally referred to as explosive technicians.
The United States Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, which oversees their licensing in the United States, calls them pyrotechnicians.
answered Jul 4, 2014 at 21:49
The word 'Pyrotechnician' accurately describes the type of professional you are describing, although it has applications outside of the context you've provided. I'm not sure if there is a more specific term available.
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It seems this same answer was provided simultaneous by several other users, perhaps there is no more specific term. Commented Jul 4, 2014 at 21:53
Pyrotechnist is the right word, but probably gets about as much use as "fire-worker" in modern context and usage in regard to this particular job. I think you need a background in engineering to be blowing up granite, to make way for a highway. The title is rarely a point of contention in union negotiations by my guess. Good question.