1) What have you other designers done to avoid obstructing your Fire Curtain?

 

2) Or, do you ignore the curtain and build large Unit Sets anyway?

 

3) Where is it written?!  Where can I find laws about Fire Curtains in local, state or national Fire Codes.

 

4)  And what about more "fluid" obstructions of the curtain line, such as orchestra chairs, chorus risers, drum sets, etc...?

 

Thanks, Dana

As suggested by Topper we now use deluge water systems these days. Which can be a drama & cause bigger problems, with electrical lighting rigs. To the point in new theatres where there are large exhaust fans, on the roof, above the fly loft. That take out any smoke, from the stage & fly's, then vent to the outside.

In fact they are that powerful they will draw up any soft hangings & anything else.

The only thing they still employ are smoke doors, which open to vent the smoke from the auditorium. Also fire doors to isolate the stage area.

I realise this does not help you!

So I with any 'fluid' settings, as you describe, they would have to be set to clear the Fire curtain line. 

 

The Applicable OSHA standards are contained in 29 CFR Subpart L-1910.155 through 1910.165.  The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) Life Safety Code requires that "no scenery or prop of any type shall block the safety curtain from coming in."  There are a couple of "get arounds" mentioned but they require more trained adults onstage to monitor and respond in case of an emergency, and extra ventilation capability added.  That's beyond the scope of my school's theatre budget.

 

We all have props and/or setpieces that occasionally intersect the plaster line of a proscenium stage (try getting the drama coach, deep in his/her creative throes, to avoid putting a chair "right there!").  I just say "OK" and then have my crew members slowly scoot the spikes clear if it's at all possible.  I also design my hard set pieces with an opening for the fire curtain, like you do, and border the slots with glo-paint to keep the actors from falling in.

My wife found a really, really good book by Dr. Randall W. A. Davidson on this and other safety subjects - specifically for school theatres.  The title is "Practical Health and Safety Guidelines for School Theater Operations."  It's kind of pricey ($75) but it helped a lot setting up our guidelines, and it had everything in one place.  Try http://theatersafetybook.com/TSB/About/Welcome.cfm - http://theatersafetybook.com/TSB/About/Welcome.cfm

- that was the cheapest we found (sorry for the infomercial - insert disclaimer here: I am not connected with this site, author, or book in  any way).

 

Mike

 

My local High school had a new procinium theatre built in (I think) 2000.  It does not have a fire curtain.  One of our universities had a new theatre built in 1974 and it does have a fire curtain.  The other university, whose main theatre is older, does not have one. The community theatre does not have one and it is the oldest procinium theatre in the area.

 

I'm not sure about the other area high schools.  I do know that there are several other flexible /black box type theatres in the area and obviously they don't have fire curtains.

 

All of these theatres have frequent fire inspections.  I have never been too deeply involved with the findings and recomendations, but don't recall any concerns regarding the fire curtain or lack thereof.

 

Interesting thread.  I'm anxious to hear comments from others.

 

Our school's theatre (built in 1912, updated in the '40's, '60's, and a couple of years ago) still has the asbestos fire curtain, but it's a 2-stage (2 section, when closing normally it has a "braking" effect for the last 6 feet or so).  Heavy as it is, once the emergency line is cut or the fusible links let go, I wonder if it would crush a setpiece or piece of furniture since it's designed NOT to crush an unfortunate actor who happens to be in the way.

 

Most of the auditoriums in my district have this kind of curtain - it also allows locking the stage down when not in use (I think most schools with this kind of stage probably have something similar).  I can remember one school, in another district that I worked in but not as the tech guy, where they made a "large group lecture hall" when they built the new building - i.e. as a "getaround" for some of the codes for school theatres.  No fire curtain, no lockdown ability.  That came around to bite them a few years later when some young pranksters broke into the auditorium right before opening night and "decorated" the sets for a play.

 

As for the asbestos fire curtain, it's still fully encapsulated.  Other than sprinklers, what other fire curtain/surpressant systems do your schools/theatres use?

 

Mike

 

Many of the older fire curtains that fall when a trip line is cut or broken or an emergency button is pushed were made of asbestos and have been removed, but there are still many theaters that have one of these monsters hanging in the fly.

 

A flame resistant main curtain is permissable under the fire code, but it still has to be able to close completely in an unobstructed manner.

 

Many of the sets that I have designed have openings for the fire curtain of hinged sections that will swing out of the way if the main curtain is closed in an emergency.

 

BTW - There are also codes limiting the amount of scenery or "fire load" that is permitted downstage of the proscenium and/or fire curtain.  I don't have the numbers in front of me but you could always contact you local fire inspector for the details.  Of course, this might open a bigger can of worms than you might be ready for.

 

Great topic!