An inside look at a fireworks warehouse

Unloading the semi

Myself, Jake, and Dustin worked 8 1/2 hours at a fireworks warehouse yesterday. Bro. Dean Shearer from Fargo Baptist invited us to come and work unloading and transporting boxes of fireworks. Memory Fireworks is a large multi-store company in North Dakota and Minnesota. This warehouse services nine other stores. First off, we had to rearrange boxes of fireworks in the warehouse. There were several pallets of firework boxes that needed to be combined on pallets in the other side of the warehouse. We worked alongside of Jesse and Jordan Shearer, who told us the way that things should be organized. Jordan also used the pallet loader to move loaded pallets around. Another worker named Norm soon arrived to help as well.

Jesse next to some boxes we unloaded

As soon as that job was finished, we waited for the Semi to arrive. Soon it came, loaded to the brim with boxes of fireworks. First the bolts had to be cut with a bolt cutter, then the doors opened. When the door was opened, there was a large wooden contraption that had to be sawed away to get at the contents. Then was the real work. At first just I was in the truck, handing down boxes. Then there was room for Jesse, then Dustin, and soon Jake too. Norm and Jordan helped by putting certain fireworks boxes on pallets, and Jordan also used the pallet loader to lift pallets up so we could fill them, and then move them away.

We stopped to break at lunch time, delicious pizza, and water never tasted so good either. I also grabbed some green tea with citrus from my car that we had bought for our barn painting job. Soon we were back inside, moving boxes from the semi to the area around us.

This post isn’t over!- click the link below for more pictures, videos, and information!

Jake taking a breakInside the warehouse

When that was all done, the driver drove the semi away. we now had the boxes arranged in a half- circle around a center courtyard. All these boxes of fireworks were  ones specifically requested by the nine fireworks stores that the warehouse services. Now we had to sort the boxes into what was requested by each store. Mrs. Shearer told us things like “2 boxes to Jamestown” or “12 to North Fargo”. We did this for every type of firework that we unloaded. This took the majority of the rest of our time.

The North Fargo store is right next door to the warehouse, so several of the pallets we loaded were taken right into the storage warehouse for that store. They wheeled the North Fargo Pallets in there, and then we had to rearrange those fireworks and put them in their designated places. This is what we did for the remainder of our time there.

Bro. Shearer said that over all, each box ends up being moved five times when all things are said and done.

I also took a look through the fireworks store. Don’t light a match! The store is very high class, and I encourage you if you are ever in the area of any of the 30 fireworks stores to definitely check them out!

Here is a video of the job:

More pictures:

Jake taking a break

Unloading the semi

Some of the fireworks we unloaded

Jesse next to some boxes we unloaded

Inside the warehouse