Here comes the fire marshal

You might have the perfect program but if you don’t pass inspection, what does it matter?

By Scott Reagles

So you’ve planned your event, your audiovisual company has set up, the tables and chairs have been dropped – then the fire marshal walks in and throws a monkey wrench into your whole program.

Believe it or not they actually do show up, and more often than you may realize. They are not interested in whether your set up looks great or not. They are interested in public safety. And if they see fit they can prevent your session from taking place. But with a little due-diligence, you can avoid problems.

Exits:
Make sure all exits are clearly visible. Depending on room size and seating capacity, the fire marshal may require that exits behind the stage and technical areas be accessible. A fire marshal may even require personnel stationed at exits to assist in the event of an emergency.

Aisle Ways:
Aisles  need to be clear and unobstructed. Required widths of aisles will vary depending on crowd size and the location of exits. Usually the facility will know what the fire marshal requires for aisle-width dimensions.

Trip Hazards:
You might think that trip hazards are things that are in the way of walkways or exits. But trip hazards can also be considered thing that COULD be in walkways. Fire marshals may require chairs to be tied or fixed together, preventing them from being moved into areas where they would be in the way if there was an emergency.

Fireproof:
A fire marshal may require that an AV company provide proof that drapery and other scenic material have been fireproofed. Most professional drapery will have a tag sewn in. But other custom-made scenery may be an issue if near lights or other heat sources. Also, anything hung over people’s heads must have a steel safety wire.

Fog Machines & Fire Alarms:
AV companies and lighting designers love to use fog machines and hazers because it makes the light beams visible (which is a great effect by the way). But these devices wreak havoc on smoke detectors. Using fog machines must be approved in advance so that smoke alarms and fire detectors can be disabled. But wait! In order to do that at least one person (sometimes more) will have to be hired to stand guard and manually trip fire alarms in the event of a fire. This is usually the case any time smoke detectors are disabled, even for rehearsals and focusing lights.

Pyrotechnics:
Simply put, if you have any kind of fireworks in your event, don’t mess around. Call the fire marshal’s office at the very beginning. Tell them everything you’re planning on doing and get their approval.