NFPA Announces New Editions of Codes and Standards

Theatres are complex buildings, and they don't usually don't come with an Instruction Manual. You need to know what you can do, and what you can't do. And it usually helps if you can quote the authorities 'Chapter and Verse'.  This way people understand that it's not you that's being a pain in the butt, but that there really is a law, rule, or standard that defines the proper way to handle situations around the venue.

The 2012 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code has been made available for purchase on the NFPA web site:
http://www.nfpa.org/catalog/product.asp?pid=10112&title=2012-NFPA-101-Life-Safety-Code&category_name=&target_pid=10112&source_pid=10109&link_type=edition_change

This edition has changes that relate to egress paths, so they have used that theme on the cover design.

The 2012 NFPA 204 Standard for Smoke an Heat Venting (that smoke hatches / vents over the stage for the theatre folks) has also been updated and information can be found here:
http://www.nfpa.org/catalog/product.asp?pid=20412&title=2012-NFPA-204-Smoke-and-Heat-Venting&category_name=&target_pid=20412&source_pid=20412&link_type=edition_change

This describes the means of operations, quantity required, and recommended inspection procedures and scheduling.

If you have a Fire Curtain (many theatres) or Fire Doors (almost all buildings), then you need to fully understand the requirements for inspecting and testing these critical devices.  The 2010 NFPA 80 Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives is the key to this part of your facility management.

This talks about door props, latches, crash bars, automatic closers, painting doors, and identifying Fire Doors.

Also of interest to many is the 2011 NFPA 70 National Electric Code which is everything you need to know, and them some, about electrical issues.  There are sections about the wire and cable we are permitted to use in the theatre environment, special requirements for dressing room lights and power receptacles, and many important items.  Product information can be found here:
http://www.nfpa.org/catalog/product.asp?pid=7011SB&title=Code-70-2011-National-Electrical-Code-NEC-Softbound&category_name=&target_pid=7011SB&source_pid=7008SB&link_type=edition_change

The companion book for those working on electrical equipment (almost all of us, whether we should or not) is the 2012 NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.  This addresses Lock-Out-Tag-Out (LOTO) procedures, ArcFlash, working 'HOT', and many other life-threatening activities when working with electricity.
http://www.nfpa.org/catalog/product.asp?pid=70E12&title=2012-NFPA-70E-Standard-for-Electrical-Safety-in-the-Workplace&category_name=&target_pid=70E12&source_pid=70E09&link_type=edition_change

Many of the NFPA publications have companion Handbooks that are available that break-down the codes and standards into manageable concepts with great graphics and explanations describing both proper and improper conditions.

Put these books in your budget.  Each one usually has a 3 to 5 year update cycle, so setting aside the funding for each of these should be a simple task.  If you need justification for the expenditures, then ask the powers that be how you are supposed to do your job without the actual books that define the Laws you must obey and the Standards to which you should adhere.

Warning:  Reading these books may induce drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery while reading them.

Natonal Fire Prevention Week - A look back at the Iroquois Theatre Fire

Much hasn't changed in the last 100 years - I still routinely find Fire Exits blocked, dysfunctional Fire Curtains, and flammable scenery, props, and costumes in every theatre I visit.  These were the very cause of the Iroquois Theatre fire. Think about it!

Asbestos Fire Curtain in an older theatre

For a bit of perspective, visit the following web sites a read-up on this disaster

• http://www.inficad.com/~ksup/iroquois.html
• http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D02E5D71130E233A25750C0A9679C946597D6CF
• http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/iroquois.pdf
• http://www.wayneturney.20m.com/iroquoisfire.htm

Please, think twice before you set the stage for another disaster.

It's 10:00 - Do you know where your Fire Extinguishers are?

When you have fire extinguishers in your facility it is very important that you and your staff:

• Know where they are
• Know when they were last inspected
• Know how to use them

Knowing where they are is important not just for you and your staff, but for the person that has to check them as well. I frequently find units in the same building that have five or six different inspections YEARS. It is obvious that each successive inspector did not know where all of the fire extinguishers were located. Suggestion: Draw a building floor plan and annotate the location of all of the fire protection devices:

• Fire Extinguishers
• Fire Alarm Pull Stations, Smoke Detectors, Rate-of-Rise Heat Detectors
• Special Devices (Fire Door releases, Fire Curtain(s), Smoke Vent(s), Elevator Lobbies)
• Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP)
• Alarm Strobes, Horns, Bells
• Emergency Lights
• Fire Sprinkler Heads
• Fire Hose Cabinets

Keep it filed with your inspection records, and post copies for your staff. Other good information to keep with this would include contacts:

• Fire Marshal
• Fire Alarm Company
• Fire Sprinkler Company
• Fire Extinguisher Service Company
• Rigging System Service Company
• Smoke Vent System Service Company

Note the dates on the inspection tag in the picture above -- they are ambiguous (no year), and difficult to read. To help identify yearly inspections are being done on all equipment, use a different color of tag each year (red, yellow, blue, green, white, etc.) so that non-conforming tags stand-out more noticeably.

Know when and how to use a fire supression device. Get training for your staff and students. If you can't actually put-out a real fire, then do the next best thing and use a fire extinguisher training device like the BullsEye or I.T.S. Extreme from BullEx Safety (http://www.bullexsafety.com/).

Cable Bending Radius

Wire rope, like all flexible cables, has a limit as to how sharply you can bend it before it is permanently deformed. This is called the d:D ratio. It is the ratio of the diameter of a sheave to the diameter of the cable. It depends upon the stranding and lay of the rope, and it is usually in the range of 20:1 to 40:1. This ratio is for maximizing the life of the cable as it flexes repeatedly while it transitions from straight to curved and back to straight as the cable passes over the sheave.

For a 1/8" diameter cable, not typically used for stage rigging, but frequently used for operating smoke vent hatches, this would typically use a 4" diameter sheave (32:1 d:D ratio). The picture below is a 1/8" diameter cable that operates a smoke vent. You can see that it is bent under tension over the sharp edge of a steel I-Beam with no pulley or block to smooth-out it's travel around the corner. You can also see where the cable strands have broken due to repeated operation.

So, why is this important? The smoke vents should be configured to allow both manual opening and closing and for the automatic release in coordination with the Fire Alarm and the Fire Curtain systems. It is very typical (but shouldn't be) that the Smoke Vents are rigged by someone other than the Stage Rigging contractor. When that happens, the manual operation system is either non-existent (so you have to climb up on the roof in a rain storm to close the hatches), or is 'user hostile' (isn't convenient for the staff to use on a day-to-day basis).


Dysfunctional mess (left). Neatly marked and operated with a RED handline (right). Sign reads: NOTICE - Smoke Vent Operation Line Inside". Sign is on both sides of hinged protective screen panel. Panel in front of line set is painted red.