Fire Retardant Potpourri...

So another thread someone posted that they used plastic sheeting which was labeled as fire retardant on a show and the fire marshall threatened to shut them down. Not only did they have to remove the sheeting but also paint fire retardant on the flats and floor.

This got me thinking that we need a good discussion on the topic.

Fire Retardant Muslin or not for flats? Does Latex paint make it more or less fire retardant? What about the Rosco stuff?

What about painting fire retardant on wood set pieces, flats, floors, etc? When do you ALWAYS use fire retardant? When do you not worry about it much?

 

Answering my question:

When it comes to muslin, I've been told the paint itself becomes a fire retardant. I've also been told the paint destroys the fire retardant in the muslin. I don't know if either is true so I buy fire retardant muslin just to be extra sure... but I'm always suspicious that I'm wasting money.

The only time I've worried about flame retarding hard flats or other wooden elements of the set is the two shows I've done that used a flash pot. Other than that I've never worried about it that much. Is that a bad thing?

 

Two things I've learned:

1) In fabrics, IFR is always better, and the extra expense, if any, is easily offset by the labor&materials cost to DIY.

2) I was always told that the pesticides used to treat erosion cloth, (you know the jute/hemp product woven into about 1" holes, probably replaced by a plastic product these days), made it flame retardant. Totally untrue, as I discovered in the worst way possible when a flashpot caught the witch's well on fire during Hansel & Gretel, before a live audience full of kids, in a 200-seat black box theatre. Mind you, this was 26 years ago and I'm much wiser now, to the extent I won't go near pyro without a licensed pyrotechnician present.

3) Okay, three. The Dept. Chair of my college theatre used to sneak up behind every new Stage Manager backstage during a quiet part of the show and say "Don't move, don't turn around. Tell me exactly where every fire extinguisher within 50' is, and what type it is." Those who failed got a long lecture after the show. Even today, when I take someone new up to our catwalks, I point out the alternate exits and fire extinguishers.

 

The simple way to ease worries is to use Rosco FlameX P50. It comes in little bottles that you mix directly into your paint, it is not supposed to affect any colors you may have mixed, and you use one bottle of flamex to one gallon of paint. This creates a fire retardant coating when you paint. There are three other flamex types that you can use for treating raw materials, you can read about them .

As for pyro type situations, flame retardant generally isn't enough to pass the fire marshal's inspection. Most of the time if you are using open flame, even a candle you need to have some form for flame-proof flashing like a sheet of metal

 

So you have your non flame retardant muslin covered flats. How about if you use the rosco flamex in the paint you use for the initial sizing of the drop... sounds like a good idea to me. The show is done and the flat goes back to storage. Next time you get it out for a show and repaint do you use a new layer of Rosco flamex treated paint? What about those flats that have been used in a dozen shows? Anyone ever been threatened by the fire marshall for not treating the back side of a hard flat?

 

I'll take it a step further. I like to build hard flats which I cover with muslin to have a nice smooth even surface on the front that dutches well.

So... paint the back with fire retardant paint, use fire retardant muslin. What about the front? Fire retardant paint every show? Just the first coat of sizing? Fire retardant paint every couple of shows?

This is an area I think a lot of us want to do the right thing... as much as we can afford. But there isn't a lot of information out there on what is right. Furthermore, you don't want to ask the fire marshall for fear you will draw attention to yourself. I want to do it right. But how much is enough. Isn't dried latex paint pretty non-flammable anyway?

 

Charc, when your parents own the school (after the lawsuit) they'll make sure there are safeties on everything.

 

I would ask Rosco what they recommend. They know the product, and they know how it is designed to last. In answer to your first question, I believe you can size the drop with flamex and then paint it. As for subsequent paintings though, I am not sure.

 

Thanks Terry Great info. We did a bunch of testing this summer of old curtain scraps. The results were fascinating. The most important thing learned was if your curtains ever get wet they are no longer fire retardant. However the scrap soaked in dry cleaning fluid had more resistance than the 20 year old scrap we didn't touch.

 

I am not sure about the rules on costumes.

We are afraid of fire in general. There are many things in a theatre that could cause a fire. Also, theatre fires are often very lethal on account of the fact that there are so many people in a small enclosed space.

 

In the U.S. we are all very familiar with the fire at The Station in 2003. But the Iroquois Theater Fire from 1903 was the big one killing nearly 600 people.

Costumes. Ahh now that is an interesting question. I've never dealt with that but it sure makes you think doesn't it. Certainly anyone in a large puffy costume working around candles or anyone near pyro should be fire proofed.