Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Atlanta Prepares Fireworks for Fourth

Aired July 04, 2001 - 08:11   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, from sea to shining sea tonight, bombs will be bursting in the air.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And the biggest pyrotechnic performance in the Southeast happens right here in Atlanta. Brian Cabell is at a local shopping mall, the Mecca here in Atlanta, ground zero for the display.

Hi, Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. This is not exactly your typical firecracker and sparkler display behind me. We have about 19,000 firing devices set to go off around 9:30 tonight, a highly choreographed display set for the biggest display they say in the Southeast, some 300,000 people said to show up here if the weather holds out, which it looks like it will.

With me right now is the design manager for this display. Give me some idea of how you come up with these ideas for -- what is it -- a 20-minute display?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's about 19 minutes, and it's all based on what the music is. The music is supplied by Peach 94.9, the radio station, and it's based on what product you know, what product is going to go best with the music.

CABELL: OK. Josh Witus your name. In front of me right now, we have -- what is this -- this is a computer that sets things off?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, this is a pyro digital field controller. This is what controls the event. This is hooked to a network of firing modules, that each firing module has a specific address for a specific piece of product. So it knows when to fire what queue.

CABELL: Let's take a look at last year's display, which you were in charge of, correct? How do you get your ideas for these displays?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, again, it all really depends on knowing the product, and I have been to Spain. I have been to China. I have been to Japan. Just to know products all over the United States, knowing the product is how to get the best product in the air for the music.

CABELL: Safety issue is a major concern?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Safety is always a major concern. It's always explosives, and you're never 100 percent sure about pyro and safety is our number one concern.

CABELL: Your crew is setting this up right now. What are they doing actually?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, now I had mentioned the firing module just a moment ago, and they are wiring the shells into the firing modules, so they are just about finished up actually. And each firing module again fires each queue based on what the computer tells it what to do.

CABELL: You have a sound track tonight -- a full 19 minutes of music, or what?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's correct. It's a full 19-minute soundtrack.

CABELL: And what will the music be tonight, anything in particular?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's a mixture of things -- some patriotics, some fun, some more current works, and it's going to be fun.

CABELL: Is there any danger involved? We have always heard about firework accidents over the last 20, 30 years. Any problems with that anymore?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, using computer and remote firing, it definitely helps in safety. We can stand 100 feet away, we can stand 1,000 feet away, but there's always a safety concern. It is pyro, and again it's not 100 percent.

CABELL: Josh Witus, thank you very much. Now we should tell you there is also a race going on right now. In fact, the winners came by just about, oh, 15 minutes ago, but there are still about 55,000 on the roadway here in Atlanta, the largest 10K race in the world, the Peachtree Road Race. And again, one of the big traditions here in Atlanta along with this fireworks display.

I am Brian Cabell, CNN live in Atlanta.

MCEDWARDS: Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com