FAQ retailers, pyrotechnicians, hotel & catering

We would be glad to assist you in determining the perfect assortment composition by means of our experiences and analysis of trends. Please contact us!

The legislature provides clear guidelines for this. The powder rate contained in fireworks depends on the classification.

• New Year’s Eve fireworks of the F2 category (e.g. a volcano) may contain a powder rate of up to 50 grams,
• battery and combined fireworks may – in accordance with the legislation – have a powder rate of up to 500 grams,
• items of the F4 Category (display fireworks) may contain powder rates of several kilograms depending on the calibre.

Exception: Rockets
The legislator limits the powder rate of rockets to 20 grams a rocket for the free sale for New Year’s Eve.

Unfortunately we can not offer a pre-sales testing of our products. Instead, however, you have the possibility of watching our product videos in the article view (menu item “Products”) and thus get to know the effects before purchasing them.

In case you are already carrying on a trade or business, you just need to expand it with the distribution of fireworks. Additionally, the public order office has to be notified about the distribution of fireworks, a permission is, however, not required. For further questions we will of course be glad to assist you. Just contact us!

In general, the legislator grants three dates of sale for New Year’s Eve fireworks (F2 category). Usually, these are the last three days of the current year (e.g. 29, 30 and 31 December). If one of these days happens to be a sunday, another date of sale is added before the regular first date of sale (in this case 28 December).

Fireworks items are classified into categories. Where possible, the categorical belonging is characterized on each item and each packing.

F1 category: smaller fireworks, e.g. table fireworks, christmas crackers, sparklers, etc.

F2 category: New Year’s Eve fireworks, e.g. rockets, volcanos, etc

F3 category: medium-sized fireworks, formerly called “garden fireworks”

F4 category: professional fireworks

If fireworks of different categories are combined to an assortment, the legal regulations for the item of the highest category count for the whole assortment.

T category: technical fireworks, pyrotechnic items for stage and theatre, e.g. bengal flames, flares, smoking bombs and powder, etc. Depending on their dangerousness, Items of the T category are divided into the T1 and T2 categories.

T1 category: fireworks for stage and theatre

T2 category: fireworks for stage and theatre

What can be purchased by whom?

Fireworks of the F1 category
can be purchased and used by persons at the minimum age of twelve years without any temporal limitation.

Fireworks of the F2 category
can only be bought during the statutory dates of sale by persons at the minimum age of 18 years, and shall exclusively be let off within the time between 31 December starting at midnight until 1 January at 12 p.m.

License holders in accordance with § 7 or § 27 or a certificate of competence in accordance with § 20 of Explosives Act can also use fireworks of the F2 category betwenn 2 January and 30 December, provided they are let off together with other pyrotechnic items.

Fireworks of the F3 category
delivery exclusively againt presentation of a license in accordance with § 7 or § 27 or a certificate of competence in accordance with § 20 of Explosives Act for the use of items of the F3 category.

Fireworks of the F4 category
delivery exclusively againt presentation of a license in accordance with § 7 or § 27 or a certificate of competence in accordance with § 20 of Explosives Act for the use of items of the F4 category.

Top right on our website you can find the button “my account” (“Mein Konto”). Click it, type in your login data – done! Welcome to our online shop!

You can request login data for our shop area either via E-Mail or via contact form. To enable our issuing the appropriate access authorization for our online shop, please send us the following documents:

– Retailer: trading licence, e.g. copy of your business registration form

– Pyrotechnician: permit according to § 7 and certificate of competence according to § 20 of the Explosives Act

In unserer Anleitung finden Sie alle Infos zur Anmeldung für Händler & Pyrotechniker, Anmeldung für Neukunden und eine Übersicht über wichtige Funktionen im Shop.

Hier können Sie unsere Anleitung für den NICO Shop herunterladen.

For a targeted search for an article, we provide a search engine in the menu item “Article search”. You just need to type in the product name or group, and we will quickly and easily guide you to the target.

We have placed a small traffic light next to the article illustration. If the light is green, the item is sufficiently available in stock. Orange means there are only few items in stock but supplies are in the feed. Red means that the item is unfortunately already sold out for the current season.

You can obtain closer information on our articles in our online shop (menu item “products”). You receive every information required by you as a retailer, hotel or restaurant owner, or pyrotechnician after logging in successfully.

As law differs from country to country, we can not give a general answer to this question. With pleasure we will inform you on whether we also deliver to your country within the sope of a personal contacting.

That depends on the category, and on the agreed or permitted date of delivery. The despatch – unless agreed otherwise – will be effected within 48 hours on receipt of your order. As soon as the consignment has been handed over to the forwarding agent, we will inform you via E-Mail. You will then have the possibility of consignment tracking. Please do not forget to indicate a phone number when placing your order, otherwise we can not notify the delivery.

The shipping costs for fireworks are higher than for “normal goods” because they are dangerous goods and therefore place special demands on the logistics chain.

Retailer (all prices plus VAT):
• Transport group 1.4S or no dangerous goods: From 300 € free shipping, between 100 € and 300 € we charge 10 € shipping costs and on order values below 100 € there is an additional 5 € small quantity surcharge/packing costs.
• Transport group 1.4G: From 750 € free shipping, between 300 € and 750 € we charge 35 € shipping costs and on order values below 300 € there are additional 10 € packaging costs (dangerous goods cartons).
• Transport group 1.3G and 1.1G: From € 2,500 free shipping, between € 1,200 and € 2,500 we charge transport costs amounting to 10% of the order value and up to € 1,200 transport costs amounting to € 120. Packaging costs do not apply here.
• exclusively advertising material/merchandise: From 300 € free shipping, up to 300 € we charge 4.95 € shipping costs.

If you order items of different dangerous goods classes, the shipping costs of the highest dangerous goods class always apply to the entire consignment.
For collection by the customer, shipping costs are not applicable.

For more information about our shop, click here.

You can find our bank data in the footer of our order confirmation or invoice.

You can comfortly pay with the follwing methods of payment:

– Payment via credit card:
You can choose between the leading providers. Just type in the number of your credit card, the period of validity, and the credit card institute. The transmission of your data is made secure through SSL-encryption. Any credit card misuse is therefore practically excluded. You can also give your credit card data by telephone. Your account will then be automatically debited with the invoice amount within four weeks. No COD fees will arise.

– Payment by PayPal:
You can also pay with PayPal. At the end of the ordering process, you will be led to PayPal directly. Your order will be shipped as soon as we receive your payment. Cash on delivery costs are not applicable.

– Payment by Sofort Überweisung:
If you do not want to reveal your account information, Sofort Überweisung is a good alternative. At the end of the ordering process, you will be led to a half filled transfer form in the course of a multilevel authentification process. You just need to complete the form with your data and confirm the tranaction by TAN. Your order will be shipped as soon as we receive your payment. Cash on delivery costs are not applicable.

– Payment in advance:
The shipping here takes a bit longer since the despatch of the goods only takes place after payment is received. No COD fees will arise.

– Payment by cash on delivery:
You pay directly on delivery. You contribute to the COD fees with EUR 9.24.

– Payment upon collection:
You collect the goods on site and pay at the same time. The shipping costs will then of course be dropped.

– Payment via invoice

– Payment on special agreement:
You also have the possibility to make individual payment agreements with your account manager.

Each our products have been manufactured according to German quality and safety standards, are CE approved, and subject to a regular and intense quality check. In the case that a problem with any of our products occurs, you can, of course, make use of our return or exchange guarantee.

Of course we are insured against any type of damage in connection with our offer. Through the strict adherence to our own very high safety standards, however, so far we have never needed to make use of our insurance.

For public holidays, New Year’s Eve and during the peak season in general (April-October) it is advisable to book as early as possible. A fireworks display must be given notice of at the appropriate authority at least 14 days prior to the event.

That depends on your budget and wishes, as well as on the circumstances of the event.

We offer fireworks in many different price categories. With pleasure, together we develop a coherent and good concept within your budget and appropriate to the constellation of your event.

That’s not an obstacle, nevertheless the firework can be let off. But of course we always wish our customers fantastic weather for their event.

Approved fireworks items can be identified with the registration number on its packaging, e.g. CH-16-V01-III-0000.00.

Based on the designation “category”, a retailer or consumer can determine, which category an item belongs to.
The allocation of the identification number is effected by the central office for explosives and pyrotechnics (ZSP) in the Federal Office for Police.

Anyone who deals with fireworks or offers them for sale, requires a sales permit of the canton in which his place of business is located. Furthermore, the Association of Canton Fire Insurances (VKF) and the security police have to agree. If a retailer supplies consumers of several different cantons, he requires a written delivery permit of each of the consumers’ canton.

A sales permit can be issued to individuals domiciled in Switzerland, or to enterprises registered in the Swiss commercial register. A sales permit for retail trade is valid exclusively in the issuing canton.

The statements made here serve exclusively as general information and do not claim correctness or completeness.
For further information, you can also contact our general agent in Switzerland.

Commercial agency Werner Preisig

Phone:       +49 171 3300311
Fax:           +49 171 3300315
Send message

Advertising in leaflets, catalogues and on the internet is allowed if the supplier has

• a sales permit of the canton in which his place of business is located, and
• a written delivery permission of the consumer’s cantons.

The statements made here serve exclusively as general information and do not claim correctness or completeness.

No, there is no maximum volume of imports. Your maximum storage capacities have, however, to be taken into account.

Swiss registration numbers for pyrotechnic items for pleasure (fireworks) of the F1 – F3 category consist of the following indications:

Anyone wishing to import pyrotechnic items (fireworks) will generally require an import permit from the Central Office for Explosives and Pyrotechnics (for which a processing fee of at least CHF 80,- arises)

The applicant also requires a sale permit for pyrotechnic items of his canton, which is to be enclosed to the application for the import permit as a copy (exception: F1 and P3 category). Furthermore, his storage has to be accepted by the security police and the Association of Canton Fire Insurances (VKF). Items of the F4 category are subject to additional requirements.

The statements made here serve exclusively as general information and do not claim correctness or completeness.

For further information, you can also contact our general agent in Switzerland.

Commercial agency Werner Preisig

Phone:       +49 171 3300311
Fax:           +49 171 3300315
Send message

Further sources of information:

Federal Office of Police fedpol – central office for explosives and pyrotechnics
https://www.fedpol.admin.ch/fedpol/de/home/sicherheit/explosivstoffe.html

Swiss coordination office for fireworks
http://www.feuerwerk-skf.ch/index.html#

The statements made here serve exclusively as general information and do not claim correctness or completeness.
For further information, you can also contact our general agent in Switzerland.

Commercial agency Werner Preisig

Phone:       +49 171 3300311
Fax:          +49 171 3300315
Send message

F1, F2 and F3 categorized fireworks exploding on the ground (exception: Lady Crackers) must not be supplied to or put into circulation on the Swiss market. In principle, exclusively items of the F1, F2 and F3 category with an approval for Switzerland may be imported. Fireworks of the F4 category requires a CE approval.

The statements made here serve exclusively as general information and do not claim correctness or completeness.
For further information, you can also contact our general agent in Switzerland.

Commercial agency Werner Preisig

Phone:       +49 171 3300311
Fax:           +49 171 3300315
Send message

Yes, you can also use rechargeable batteries as an alternative to the recommended Duracell 1.5V D alkaline batteries.

Since FireFly needs 2 seconds of “charge time” per ignition, this is not possible with a single ignition module. However, if multiple FireFly ignition modules are used together, multiple channels can be fired simultaneously. You can connect up to 6 FireFlys at once. So you get up to 90 channels in total and 6 channels that can be ignite at the same moment.

No, this is not possible. The planning of the show can only be done on your mobile devices (tablet, mobile phone).

No, all you need is an active Bluetooth connection and location sharing.

New ignition cables with a length of three or five meters can be found in our online shop.

• Compatible are multiple Bluetooth FireFly devices (up to 6 devices).
• Or all Wi-Fi devices (FireFly Plus, FireFly Mini and FireFly with upgrade).
• Connect your smartphone / tablet to a FireFly (which is in red fire mode). Then turn on the other devices and switch them to blue Wi-Fi mesh mode. Now all FireFly devices that are in blue

Wi-Fi mesh mode will establish a connection with the primary FireFly, which is in red fire mode.
In the app, there is a settings menu in the “FireFly Plus” submenu in the upper right corner. Here you will find a Refresh button, which can be identified by a circle with arrows. Press it several times. If you add a new FireFly, you have to press the Refresh button again. All devices should now be listed in the settings.

• For an update to the latest firmware you need a smartphone or a tablet with a mobile internet connection, with which you can also open a personal hotspot.
• You name this hotspot “TITANUPDATE” (all letters capitalized). With many devices it is not possible to give the hotspot its own name: Then simply rename the device name to “TITANUPDATE”.
• Tip: Write down your normal device name so that you can name your device the same afterwards. Also change the password for the Personal Hotspot to “TITANUPDATE” (also with capital letters).
  Then activate the personal hotspot.
• Now turn on your FireFly device. If you have several FireFly devices, update them only one after the other to avoid disturbances in the connection.
• To enter update mode on the FireFly, press the mode button, which is located under the ON/OFF button, twice until the button glows solid red and blue at the same time.
• The device will now connect to your smartphone or tablet and pull the new firmware from the cloud. On some devices, you’ll know you’re connected by a blue icon in the top corner of your display.
• Downloading the new firmware can take a few seconds and up to 4 minutes, depending on the device and its connection to the Internet.
• After the update, the FireFly device will light up, do a check of all channels as it did at startup, and automatically switch back to normal red fire mode.
• If the update failed, try again or at a later time. You can tell by the version number in the FireFly app or by the fact that the FireFly does not switch back to fire mode. A failure can occur due to a bad connection to our server.

The batteries are enough for up to 300 ignitions. Please note that excessive cold or heat may harmful affects battery life. If the device is not in use for a long time, please remove the batteries until the next use.

Do not mix used batteries with new ones or batteries with different chemical properties. Use only 1.5V D Alkaline batteries (recommended: Duracell) for this device.

No there is not. In a homemade show, the cues need to be 2 seconds apart from each other, because FireFly needs some “charge time”. The actual ignition, however, takes place at the same time as shown in the app.

If you use more than one FireFly module, several channels can be ignited at the same time or with a minimal delay apart from each other if desired.

• Check that you have allowed access to your music in the device settings (not in the FireFly app). For Apple iOS devices, for example, this setting is called “Music and Apple Music” and can be found under “Settings” -> “FireFly”.
• Also, Apple’s “Music” app, which is installed out of the box, must be on the device.
• Delete the application and reinstall it.

The app can be found under the name Titan FireFly. It is available from Android version 5.0 in the Google Playstore or for iOS devices with Lightning port (from iPhone 5) in the App Store.

If you lose the connection to the ignition module before ignition, the fireworks cannot be ignited. On the other hand, if the show has already been started, you can remove yourself from the Bluetooth area and the show will continue.

Warning: If you move outside the Bluetooth range, the initiation of an emergency stop is no longer possible!

With the radio-controlled FireFly ignition module, the range is up to 50 meters.

FireFly harmonizes with the following Android versions:

• 5.x Lollipop
• 6.x Marshmallow
• 7.x Nougat

To successfully pair with FireFly, you need Bluetooth version 4.2 or higher. FireFly also supports Bluetooth LE.

FireFly harmonizes with every iOS device running iOS 6 or higher:

• iPhone 5 and higher
• iPad 4. Gen. and higher
• all iPad Air, Mini and Pro

The FireFly ignition system is independent from any manufacturer. In the FireFly App show mode, the integrated product catalogue includes a selection of over 100 NICO Firework items, such as cakeboxes, volcanoes, fountains, crackers, and other items that you can use for your customized FireFly Show. In Manual Firing mode, you can connect and fire both NICO and non-NICO products.

IMPORTANT: Do not use rising articles (such as rockets) for FireFly ignition. This can lead to serious personal injuries and equipment damages.

The safety distance depends on the particular firework items to be fired. You will find the required information on the items itself.

Channels 8 and 10 do not work individually in manual firing mode, but they are by no means defective. This is a power management optimization measure designed to extend battery life. All 13 other channels work quite regularly and can easily be ignited independently.

To operate channels 8 and 10 as usual, please make sure that the previous channels are connected.

The indicator lights on the channel indicate that the cable and clip are intact and properly connected to the module. When sending the ignition pulse both lamps go out briefly.

If all the lights are on but the glow wire does not glow, or only briefly or faintly, it is probably due to the battery’s usage status.

More about batteries can be found here.

Your device possibly uses an older or incompatible PDF reader.

Please double-check if the tool is functional and has been installed correctly e.g. by opening other PDF files with your PDF reading app.

Hint:
The free PDF-Reader available in Google Play Store provides good service.

Location sharing is used to identify the country in which the device is being used. This is necessary to take the respective country settings into account.

When your Android device fails to pair, there are several possible reasons.

1. Your Bluetooth Version might be older than Version 4.2
2. You are not moving within the efficiency range of approx. 80 meters.
3. Your mobile device uses Android 8.0 or higher.

The product developer issued a statement, saying that with Android 8.0 and higher, great difficulties with Bluetooth® connectivity arose – e.g. disconnection or inability to connect with FireFly. This problem, however, does not only relate to FireFly, but also to cars, earphones and portable speakers. The same mobile devices would have harmonized perfectly using the previous Bluetooth versions. They say that Google works on it already, but there is no date when this problem will be remedied.

If you own an Apple or another Android device running version 5.x to 7.x, please use it as a controller for the time being.

To check which operating system your mobile phone uses, please proceed as follows (designations may vary depending on the device):

> Open “Settings”
> Select “Device Information”
> Go to “Software Information”
> Android Version _____