Fire safety
Overview
This page relates to the safe handling of campfires, candles and other sources of fire at Profound Decision events. There is a separate page covering safety around fire performance.
Our primary defence against uncontrolled fire, and against injuries caused by fire, is common sense. A LARP event can be one with a lot of canvas, and a lot of open flames, but by following some simple precautions, we can keep ourselves and each other safe, and enjoy the light and warmth they bring to an event.
These rules are not exhaustive - but serve to establish a baseline for what responsible behaviour looks like.
Safe Area
- All campfires must be raised off the ground and in a suitable container
- You must make sure it is well away from flammable objects and has plenty of clear space around it free of trip hazards
All campfires at PD events must be raised off the ground, in a suitable container - the container should be positioned away from flammable objects, trip hazards, and so that any thoroughfare is possible without getting unduly close to it. Remember that wheelchair users and event attendees with large costumes might require more space than you to move past an area.
Similarly, candles and lanterns should be held in suitable fixtures or containers, and placed so they neither risk being knocked onto something flammable, nor brushed into by accident. LED lights are always an acceptable alternative, and need not look like flame.
If the fire is to be in or around your tent, consider having the canvas treated with fire retardant (you can apply it yourself with paintbrushes or a cheap garden sprayer), and keeping fire fighting equipment nearby. At the very least, a good pair of boots can let you stamp out sparks before they spread.
Tents should be far enough apart from each other that flames cannot easily spread from one to the next. The camp planners are members of PD crew, who will be able to advise you when pitching your tent(s) to support this.
Supervision
- If you light a fire, it is your responsibility to ensure it is supervised and not left unattended
- Any fire with a visible flame, or which is producing sparks or has unignited fuel on it must be extinguished before you leave it unattended
A fire with visible flame, one which is producing sparks, or one which has a hot bed of coals and unignited fuel on it, is a fire which presents an increased risk of igniting things around it. Such a fire should be supervised - that means having someone mature and sober enough to recognise danger and raise the alarm, that they should be within clear site of the fire near-constantly, and that they should be aware they have responsibility for it.
By igniting a fire, you are committing to the idea that someone will be available to supervise it until it is extinguished or dampened. It is always acceptable to declare yourself Non-Contact if combat or the threat thereof, would otherwise oblige you to leave a fire unattended.
If you would like to render a fire safe to be left alone, this can generally be accomplished by removing as much unignited fuel from it as possible, and then spreading the burning material as widely as possible within the container it has been laid in. This will leave a bed of very hot ashes, but you will generally find it quickly stops having any visible flame, or emitting any sparks, which vastly reduces the risk of it spreading outside its container. You could then choose to douse the ashes with water, or put a suitable airtight lid on the container, to extinguish the fire further, but we do not require this.
Similarly, candles and lanterns should not be left alone when lit.
Pyrotechnics
- You may not use pyrotechnics at Empire without prior permission
- The only exception is for coloured flame effects
We don't permit participants to use loud pyrotechnics explosives or pyrotechnics with significant safety issues at Empire. Our crew may use pyrotechnics at times for special effects, but they cannot be used by players or any crew member who is not approved by our sfx team to use them.
There are a selection of commercial preparations intended to give a coloured flame effect in a campfire - they are often branded as "magic flames", "coloured flames" or "fire salts", and generally give a greenish-blue colour to the fire. The most common contain a mixture of Cupric Sulfate, Cupric Chloride and Polyvinyl Chloride. While these are technically pyrotechnics, you may use commercial preparations of this nature, so long as you follow the manufacturer's instructions. This means that if you pass them to other event attendees, you must make sure they also have access to a copy of the manufacturer's instructions. You must only use these preparations with the knowledge and consent of the person who is currently responsible for the fire in question.
There are a range of small pyrotechnic devices such as smoke pellets, chimney testers, flash paper, vape-based 'smoke' effects which you can ask for permission to use in a personal capacity at the event. You can email us to discuss your request. If you are given permission to use a small pyrotechnic device of this kind, then only you may use it, you cannot give it to another participant to operate.
Disposal Of Ashes
- Hot ash disposal points are provided at multiple points around the site
- Do not put hot ashes in the normal waste disposal under any circumstances
Ashes remain hot far longer than you might expect. It is common for Saturday night's ashes to still be hot enough to melt straight through bin bags after time-out on Sunday.
It is not acceptable to put hot ashes in the normal waste disposal, nor to dump ash on the ground anywhere at PD events.
Instead, hot ash disposal points are provided for your use at multiple points on the site - before lighting a fire, know how you are going to get the ash to one of them. Ask at GOD if you are unable to locate an ash disposal point.
Carbon Monoxide
- Do not sleep in a tent with the remains of any sort of fire - this is a serious health hazard
Carbon monoxide kills, and one source for it is fires and barbecues that appear extinguished. Indeed, there have been tragic cases of campers who brought a "used" disposable barbecue into their tent overnight, and perished.
The risk is lower in the sort of tent we tend to see in the IC area at PD events (since they are larger, and much better ventilated, than modern tents), but the risk is still present. As such, we strongly advise you against sleeping in a tent with the remains of any sort of fire.
The only exception to this would be a properly installed, enclosed, stove - with a flue that vents outside the tent, and even then there is no reason not to bring and use a battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm.
If You See A Problem
- Please report any problem to the first member of crew with a radio that you can find
- Do not tackle a fire unless you have suitable equipment available and it is clearly safe to do so
Profound Decisions will never introduce any plot or encounter involving a fire spreading in Anvil, as such, treat reports of fire spreading as OC information, and react accordingly.
If you see a fire spreading outside of its intended container, immediately take action to move yourself and anyone near it out of immediate danger, and then alert someone with a radio. The site crew will have access to firefighting equipment, and the local fire service will be alerted if the situation is severe enough. The event first aid team has specialist burns training and equipment available. If there is suitable equipment available and you are certain it is safe to do so, consider tackling the fire yourself, but err on the side of caution. Tents can be replaced; people cannot.
If you see a fire in a state that you believe presents an immediate danger to people or property, or that you think will develop into one, calmly and politely alert the person supervising the fire to that situation. If you cannot identify that person, or you do not believe their response has mitigated the danger, then do not take any further action yourself, or engage in protracted discussion - but instead, alert PD crew (by way of anyone with a radio), and let them handle the situation.