No laws exist against using
haze and
fog in a school performance space. You'll want to be certain that there aren't particle detectors in your
HVAC system or
infrared smoke detection sensors attached to your fire protection systems. If someone on your maintenance staff doesn't know whether or not those components exist in your facility, arrange a test.
While the particular logistics may differ from
system to
system, what I did two years ago with one of our spaces was had someone on our Building & Grounds staff notify our alarm company that we were performing a
system test and that they should not forward any alarms on our
system to the local fire department. Then we turned on the four or five foggers/hazers we had until we smoked the place up far more than we ever actually would for an event until we were sufficiently certain there would be no false alarms as a result of our use of
fog.
I can't recall whether or not we had the
fire marshal on site for that or not. They aren't necessary for the test, but we may have invited them there anyway. Should they be there for the test, also be sufficiently certain that there wouldn't be a false alarm, and then a week later there is a false alarm, they'll have a lot more sympathy.
Also make certain that in the
curtain speech or playbills include a note about the
haze effects.
Most people who complain about atmospheric effects have psychosomatic reactions -- I think this is
smoke, therefore I will cough, wheeze, and complain of my allergies and blame it on the
smoke, but some people with chronic respiratory illnesses may have legitimate reactions; those people know who they are, and most can prepare themselves appropriately by using an inhaler, but those who cannot will know when to exit the
theatre.