THE Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has responded in the wake of the pyro display at Dens Park on Wednesday night which delayed the cinch Premiership encounter between Dundee and Rangers.
Herald Sport understands that a conference involving the league's governing body the SPFL, the Scottish Government and Police Scotland will take place at Hampden later this month, with the approach to dealing with the issue of pyro in Scottish ground high on the agenda.
With Wednesday's match already kicking off late due to traffic issues affecting the Ibrox club's team bus, a large number of flares ignited in the away end forced referee Kevin Clancy to withdraw both sets of players from the field of play after smoke alarms were triggered in the old Tayside ground.
When all the devices were extinguished and the smoke had dissipated, the players returned to the field and Philippe Clement's visitors ran out 5-0 winners over Tony Docherty's hosts. But the unsavoury scenes in the first half have eclipsed much of the post-match reaction, with the displays the latest in a long line of similar incidents involving a wide range of supporters and clubs throughout the Scottish professional leagues.
It is this apparent rise in potentially dangerous activity inside our sporting grounds which has caused area commander Jason Sharp, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's local senior officer for Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross, to speak out.
“We are increasingly seeing a variety of pyrotechnic devices being used at stadiums and events across Scotland," Sharp told Herald Sport in a statement.
“As a national emergency service, we have concerns over the misuse of these types of materials as they can reach temperatures of 1200 degrees and can continue to burn even when discarded.
“These items can pose a number of risks including potentially serious injury to anyone within the vicinity of a live pyrotechnic and a fire risk dependant on where the pyrotechnic is discharged.”
“The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Bill was introduced in 2022 to control the sale and use of pyrotechnics and fireworks.
“Along with our partners, we are committed to keeping Scotland safe – and we would urge our communities to help us do so by working together to stamp out this dangerous behaviour.”
The supporters' actions and their potential to cause harm to others have also been condemned by Police Scotland in the wake of Wednesday night's encounter.
Superintendent Iain Wales stated: “The safety of the public and officers is our priority. Due to a number of pyrotechnics, including smoke bombs and flares being set off in the stands, the game was stopped. Players were removed from the pitch and returned a short time later.
“Taking pyrotechnics into a football stadium is not only an offence, it is extremely dangerous. It is tremendously disappointing and worrying that despite repeated warning about the risk, these are still brought to matches.
“Luckily there were no reports of any injuries, however the consequences could have been much worse. It’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.
"Although no arrests were made at the game, retrospective enquiries are being carried out. The investigation is ongoing and we are working closely with both clubs to identify those responsible. Anyone with information that may assist our enquiries should contact 101 quoting reference number 2815 of 2 November.”
With the police still carrying out investigations into the incident, Rangers have refused to comment on an ongoing investigation. An SPFL spokesperson, meanwhile, said: “The extensive use of pyrotechnics at the match at Dens Park is very concerning and unwelcome. The disruption to the game is obviously extremely regrettable. We await the delegate report and will be liaising with Police Scotland on the incident.”
