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  • 1.  Smoke Machine/fire warden

    Posted 10-07-2022 07:44
    Hi,

    I'm based in NYC and we don't have a tech director at our school. We want to use a smoke machine for our upcoming production but I'm pretty sure we need a fire warden to disable the fire alarm and be present for the production and then reenable the fire alarm panel once clear. 

    Anyone know about this and/or where I locate protocol / rules? Also we may need to hire someone to do this. 

    Thanks

    Joan
    ********
    Joan Jubett
    HS Play Director / High School Drama Teacher
    Advisor for Class of 2024


  • 2.  RE: Smoke Machine/fire warden

    Posted 10-08-2022 10:43
    You definitely need to test first whether your smoke machine will set off the fire alarm.
    And be generous, lest in testing you are fine but in performance there is so much smoke that it crosses that threshold, and does set off the alarm. 
    Yes, you do need to test with a person at the ready to call off the fire department or to quickly cancel/re-set the alarm.
    Whether there is someone at your school who can do this or you need to get (hire?) someone from the fire department is likely a local issue (I'm not in NYC). Who runs your fire drills? They must know how to set off the alarm without calling out the trucks.
    Also, do test when the building is pretty much empty (evening? a weekend day?) -- not during class time!
    If your test goes well, you may not need someone there during rehearsals/performances.
    Best of luck. Thanks for being alert to potential problems. Smoke adds a lot of atmosphere. Pick a good flavor of that fog juice!

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    Douglas "Chip" Rome
    Theatre Consultant
    Educational Stages
    Burke VA
    http://EducationalStages.com
    https://bit.ly/RWTEOview
    https://bit.ly/eTeachTech
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  • 3.  RE: Smoke Machine/fire warden

    Posted 10-09-2022 04:51
    Please note there are several different types of Sensos in fire systems, there are heat and particulate sensors, the fog machines can trigger particulate sensors, some things to do...

    1) find out what your system consists of.
    2) determine if the space is zoned so you can override when using somke or fog.
    3) call your fire system company and discuss your options can we shut off a zone for a time, do we need to call the monitoring for shutting off for a period of time, what is possible, I have seen both ways done at spaces, just keep open communication.

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    Jerry Onik
    V.P. Theatrical Supplies and Equipment
    Heartland Scenic Studio
    NE
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  • 4.  RE: Smoke Machine/fire warden

    Posted 10-08-2022 11:16
    Hi, Joan,

    My suggestion would be to contact George Swope at LaGuardia. He runs their theater tech program, I believe, and should know all the NYC-specific info you need. Here's his contact info: https://www.laguardiahs.org/studio_technical_theater

    Good luck,
    Anna

    Anna Bean
    The Albany Academies 





  • 5.  RE: Smoke Machine/fire warden

    Posted 10-08-2022 12:15
    Good advice so far, but don't  forget there's a difference between stage fog and stage smoke.  Fog hugs the  floor while smoke goes up and may be more likely to set off the alarm, so it depends on what you have.

    So yes, check with your local authorities .

    ------------------------------
    George F. Ledo
    Set designer
    www.setdesignandtech.wordpress.com
    www.georgefledo.net
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  • 6.  RE: Smoke Machine/fire warden

    Posted 10-09-2022 18:04
    That's what we would have to do in Texas. It is expensive and a real hassle to do, so we basically just avoid it. If it is a very small amount of "smoke" you are looking for, try dry ice and water. That will give you some smoke. If you want to go ahead with it, we would have to get principal permission, then district permission, then contact the fire chief and hire a couple of fireman to be on hand as well as extra policemen from the police deptment SROs.


    Those are the things we would have to do in my district. Sounds like you too would have to do these steps. Again, if it is worth the production, get the ball moving.


    Break a leg and may all your theatre seats be filled.




  • 7.  RE: Smoke Machine/fire warden

    Posted 10-12-2022 00:13
    Hi all

    FWIW, I often suggest taking a slightly different mindset when dealing with this issue.  A theatre space is a place for telling a story, and fog, smoke, and haze is often part of that storytelling exercise.  All theatres should be equipped with heat detectors (or other fire detection systems which are not triggered by atmospheric effects).  That a performance space was NOT equipped with the proper equipment is not the fault of the director, producer, or tech team, so it is not up to us to go to the administration, hat in hand, to request their permission and/or be billed for additional expenses that it may cost to use the space as intended. That being said, I also advise not to bully the admins because that will often result in a hard no followed by an invitation to leave the office :-).

    At my university, our new facility was not equipped with the right equipment, even though we raised the issue numerous times during the design and construction process.  Now, we simply advise the physical plant when we will be using atmospheric effects, and then we use them. The onus is now on them to disable and/or reroute sensors, bring in a fire watch, notify the FD, or whatever they do. If they forget to make the appropriate adjustments or if the fire alarm is triggered, we point back to the informative email and let them deal with the fallout.

    I realize that this may not be the ideal solution for many due to bureaucratic structuring within your organization, but its worth giving some thinky thinky time on how to shift the responsibility to the ones who made the bad decisions in the first place and make it their problem to solve. We are not firefighters, engineers, or fire alarm specialists - we are storytellers telling stories in our storytelling space.

    Hope this helps :-)


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    Tracy Nunnally
    NIU - Professor/TD/Area Head (tnunnally@niu.edu)
    Vertigo - Owner/System Designer (tracy@getvertigo.com)
    ETCP Certified Rigger/Trainer/Employer
    I.A.T.S.E.
    DeKalb, Illinois
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