One of the ways to get your staff and students to engage themselves with Fire Safety is to get them intimately familiar with the equipment and fire protection systems at their venue. One good way to make this fun and informative to have them search for the equipment and identify it themselves. To help facilitate this, draw a simplified plan of the building (or get a good one from the Architectural plans – this is always handy to have anyway) and reduce it to 11”x17” (ledger size) paper. Have one plan sheet for each level of the building (basement / trap, stage / lobby, balcony / control booth, catwalks, gridiron, etc.), and if possible, include a reference scale so that the graphic plan can represent items fairly close to their true location. If you can reproduce the plans so that they are at a common architectural scale (1/8” – 1’-0”, 3/32” = 1’-0”, etc.) then these are even more useful.

What to look for:

A building has many components that are part of the Fire Protection Systems, so it can be helpful to have your staff / students look for these different elements at different times so that they clearly see that these are unique elements to the overall fire protection plan. These categories might include:

• Fire Alarm System – Fire Alarm Control Panel(s) (FACP), Alarm Initiation Stations (Pull Stations), Bells, Horns, Strobes, Smoke Detectors, Rate-of-Rise Heat detectors Electronic Releases for Fire Curtains, Smoke Vents, and Fire Doors.
  
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• Emergency Illumination – Emergency lights, battery packs, Emergency Lighting Transfer Switch Panels (ETS), Emergency Power Generator, Flash Lights, Low Level Lighting strips (LLL way-finding), Cyalume© Light Stick Dispensers, EXIT Signs (& battery packs). Areas that have, Photoluminescent markers or way-finding guidance.
  
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• Fire Doors – Hinged Doors (refer to the tag on the edge of the door leaf to see the listing), Fire Curtains, Overhead Coiling Doors, Horizontal Sliding Doors.
  
  
• Smoke Vents – These may be above the scene shop as well as above the stage. Where are the release stations?
  
  
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• Fire Suppression Systems – Sprinkler Heads, Pipes, Shut-off Valves, Flow Sensors (these could be part of the Fire Alarm System, too), Sprinkler Drain Valves, Fire Sprinkler Riser Connections, Fire Hose Cabinets.
  
  
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• Fire Extinguishers – Size, Type, Date of Last Inspection, mounting (on floor, on wall bracket, in wall box).
  
  
• Fire / Emergency Signage – Look for all signs (and maybe even note the absence of signage). This could include EXIT signs, NO EXIT signs, DO NOT BLOCK EXIT signs, Muster Station signs, and marker signage that directs people toward exits and/or Areas of Refuge, or locates Fire Alarm Pull Stations, Fire Extinguishers, Fire Hose Cabinets, Fire Curtain Release Station, Smoke Vent Release Station, etc.
  
  
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• Safety & First Aid – Locate First Aid Stations, AED’s, Emergency Eyewash and/or Shower Stations, Emergency Telephones (Hard-wired land-lines – no, a cell phone is NOT an Emergency Telephone, and should not be relied upon for such), Fire Blankets, Areas of Refuge.

What can you do with this?

After you have had your minions scurry about and gather all this useful information, you should verify it (make sure they didn’t misunderstand or miscategorize something) and look to see if you find any additional items.

Once you have a master set of locator plans, make a copy for the building maintenance staff, the security staff, and maybe even share it with the local Fire Department (They’ll be amazed that you did this! This is a great way to break the ice and get to know them.)

In successive years, repeat this with each incoming class and new staff hires. Use the master files to check against what they find. If something is missing, then find out if it needs to be replaced, and if so, initiate the reporting / purchasing process. You may find that sometimes new items are found that were previously missed – give that team a gold star!

All of these items require some sort of periodic Inspection and / or Testing by a qualified individual. The inspection / testing interval varies by item and local code adoption, so you should research this with the help of someone familiar with the NFPA Fire Code and local Fire Codes. Once you know the inspection / testing intervals, you can check to see that they are being performed by your building maintenance department. Don’t be afraid to ask to see the inspection records. It is important that you be aware of what is being inspected / tested and how frequently this occurs.

The Inspection and / or Testing can be another good opportunity to learn more about your facility and its Fire Protection Systems. There are several items that you can have your crew check at each opportunity, and if you keep a good record of what they find and report any deficiencies to your building manager, then you can be proactive about getting these items repaired, replaced, or removed. Here are some simple items to check:

• EXIT sign lamps actually glow. EXIT signs are not covered or painted-over. EXIT sign Emergency Power is functional.
  
  
• Fire Doors do not have kick-down door props or hooks. This also means that Fire Doors are not propped open with stage weights, chairs, desks, boxes, sand bags, flag pole bases, microphone stands, wedge blocks, broom handles, bailing wire, bungee cords, speakers, etc. There are only two means by which you can hold a door open: With a Magnetic Door Holder that is automatically released by the Fire Alarm System, or by having a person hold it open.
  
  “Mom, I’m in Show Business!”
  “That’s great dear, what do you do?”
  “I’m the Fire Suppression Specialist at Upstage Right. [Read: I hold the door open for the actors and crew – I’m the legal form of a kick-down door prop.]”
  
  
• Fire Door automatic closers are fully functional. Doors closers are attached to the door and will pull the door closed and latched without any assistance.
  
  
• Fire Door Latches are fully functional. No gaffer’s tape over the bolt, no cardboard stuffed in the strike plate, etc.
  
  
• Fire Extinguishers have current inspection tags.
  
  
• Emergency Lighting that relies upon battery packs actually work when the power is removed. Check that lights are aimed where they will provide useful illumination.
  
  
• Sprinkler heads are not blocked. Check to see if the tape or plastic covers that were temporarily installed during painting have all been removed. Check to see that there is nothing attached to the Fire Sprinkler pipes (no coat hangers, lights, wires, scenery, drapes, etc.).

It is very common, and frequently mandatory, that there be maps posted around the facility that clearly show the exit routes, areas of refuge (if any), locations of fire protection equipment like alarm pull stations and fire extinguishers, and muster stations. These maps must be large enough and clearly composed so that they can be readily interpreted under low or emergency lighting conditions.

Fire Egress Plan with clear ISO icons

Printing Egress Maps on clear film and mounting them over photoluminescent paper is a very good way to do this.

Photoluminescent Signage works when the power is out!