Fire show safety and permits: what the client arranges and what we do
Safety does not start on the day of the event
A fire show looks effortless to the audience precisely because every risk is dealt with long before the performance. Our performers work with fire constantly, so they know exactly where the line between a striking image and a hazard lies, and a programme is rehearsed until every movement is second nature.
Before every performance we assess the venue: where the audience will stand, which way the wind blows, what is overhead and underfoot, how much room the performers have to move safely with fire. Everything that follows – the choice of programme, the audience line and the timing – grows out of that assessment.
What we do
We calculate the safe distance to the audience for your specific venue, not by a general rule – it depends on the programme, the tools and the effects used. We bring our own extinguishing equipment, and our crew stands by throughout the performance. We use only tested equipment.
Technical questions – access, power, coordination with the sound crew, and indoors the relationship between smoke effects and the fire alarm – are settled with the venue management before the event, not during the evening. If a space is unsuitable for open flame, we say so in advance and propose a programme without fire.
What the client has to do
Not much. First, inform the venue management that there will be open fire at the event: the owners of the country house, restaurant or hotel need to know in advance. Second, give us a contact person with whom we can agree access and timing. Third, make sure the planned area is free of guests' cars, marquees or decorations that cannot be moved in the evening.
Everything else – safety equipment, distances, technical coordination – is our job. All you need to do is tell us where the event is.
Public spaces and the municipality
When the performance takes place in a park, a square, on a beach or in another public space, it usually has to be cleared with the municipality or the responsible services. That is the organiser's process, but you are not alone in it: we prepare the information about the effects and safety measures used, so that the approval goes smoothly. The only thing to remember is to allow time for it when planning the event.
At a city festival we agree the safety perimeter not only with the organiser but also with the services keeping order, so that the crowd does not end up closer than planned – here the audience has not been invited, it simply walks past and stops.
Lawns, terraces and floors
A frequent question is whether the flame will damage the lawn or a wooden terrace. We protect the area with coverings where needed and choose the programme by the surface: an open meadow and wooden walkways call for different solutions. After the performance we leave the area as we found it.
Indoors three things decide: ceiling height, ventilation and the floor surface. Part of the repertoire is adapted for indoor use, and where open flame is unsuitable a light or LED programme creates a similar impression – and needs no permits at all.
Weather
Light rain does not stop a performance; wind is the factor we assess on site – it decides which side the audience line goes on and whether certain effects are used. The backup plan – a canopy, an indoor space or a programme without fire – is agreed at booking, so the weather does not spoil the celebration.
If you still have questions about your particular venue, send us its address or a photo: we will tell you whether it suits open fire and what would need to be arranged.