IcePenguin said:
To tell you the truth, it would probably be safer controlling it over
DMX.
Our
current method of detonation is plugging the flashpot into a surge surpressor and flipping to
switch to ON when the
cue comes. They're simple flashpots, a box with a short, stubby tube that the explosives go in, and then two bare wires running through the explosives. 8O
That's just the way my high school does it, I guess!
First of all there is one simple rule for
pyro.
SAFETY. In all cases, there must be a
clear line of sight of the product being used. Often
FOH does not provide such a position. A lot of pyrotechnicians will set themselves at side of
stage as it gives you a better perspective of depth of the
stage. Especially where sets are complicated or there are actors/dancers on
stage. In some cases, a separate
safety officer may be required to observe for people getting too close to any product. In this case the
safety officer (who should be in communication via a
headset to the
pyrotechnician that is firing) can
call an UNSAFE shot.
If you can not see the product and all
safety areas – YOU CAN NOT FIRE IT
Any automated firing
system MUST have a
manual override.
I do not know if there are any
DMX controllable exploders out on the market as it is not something that I would be interested in. If there was, there would still need to be someone there to activate the
unit and determine if it is safe to fire. Given this, adding in a
DMX trigger only complicates the situation and when you complicate things, that is when accidents are more likely to happen.
Now – onto the way that your school uses
pyro.
This is an extremely unsafe method and violates just about every
safety precaution that I can think of in regards to the
system of firing. There should (must) be no way that the
system can be accidentally fired and as I previously stated, this is done with the use of a key
switch and one (or maybe more) additional
safety systems.
I don’t even want to think about the risks of plugging
pyro into 120V AC.
I don’t know the rules and regulation as they apply to the US but given what is legislated over here; I would be surprised if the differences were very dramatic. I also would think that the local
Fire Marshal would close you down immediately should they observe this practice.
The other thing that always confuses me is that people say “but they are only flash pots”. Look at the label on them. They will still have an Explosives 1.4 UN sticker on them. People have been seriously burned with flash pots.
Regardless of how small or big the
effect or whether it is instantaneous or has a set duration, it should be treated the same as far as
safety is concerned.
This is not an attack on you personally but rather a response that I think you need to take back to your school and also to highlight some of the
safety concerns that cannot be ignored.