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Fire stunts and pyrotechnics create some of the most breathtaking moments in film, TV, and live performances. Whether it’s a full-body burn in a movie or a grand finale on stage, fire stunts grab attention like no other. However, working with fire carries significant risks, and managing those risks requires meticulous preparation, professional collaboration, and a deep sense of responsibility. At the International Stunt Academy (The ISA), Fire Stunt Training involves a very serious focus on safety, balancing best practices, extensive training (theory and practical), and strict adherence to the safety regulations put in place. In this article, we share some essential considerations for managing fire FX and fire stunts stunts across various productions and regions. While this is not a how-to guide, it offers insight into the complexities of fire stunts and why proper training and collaboration are critical to safe execution.
1. Preparation Is Everything: Plan, Prepare, and Collaborate At The ISA, fire stunt safety begins long before the flames are lit. The foundation of a successful course, culminating in the safe and successful execution of fire stunt, is in detailed training, drills, preparation, risk assessment, and collaboration with all parties involved, including emergency services. Here’s how we approach it: Site and Safety Plans: We use a well-established system of zones, familiar to emergency services, to create clear lines of communication and ensure safety during a fire stunt. These include:
It’s essential to involve local fire marshals or emergency personnel from the start. Not only is their involvement often required, but they have the authority to shut down a production if safety is compromised. Working alongside them isn't about getting them on your side—it's about professional collaboration and mutual respect to ensure everyone’s safety. 2. Trust and Privilege: The Stunt World’s Unique Responsibilities The ability to perform fire stunts isn’t just a skill, it’s also a privilege that comes with enormous trust and responsibility. Few professions involve setting a human on fire, and while training and certifications are available internationally, not every region requires certification for the roles involved, or that you maintain your training. However, we believe the industry should always work to set, maintain and raise standards. This is why we advocate for Ongoing Training and Recertification. We offer fire stunt courses and certifications that are internationally recognised, but laws and recognition of these certifications can vary across borders. Regardless of local requirements, staying up to date with training and regularly recertifying is not only good practice, it show professionalism and reinforces the importance of safety. Keeping your skills sharp is essential in a field where issues can develop and spread very fast, the time to resolve issues is unusually short, and mistakes can be catastrophic. 3. Defining Roles and Responsibilities: Serious Work, Not a ‘Cool’ Job When planning and coordinating controlled fires and fire stunts, sometimes people think being the leader is 'cool'. It isn't. Being in charge of a fire stunt is a serious responsibility that requires deep knowledge, a passion for very detailed planning and doing your paperwork, coordinating with many different people who have responsibilities oversight, liabilities or face risks, and also the ability and willingness to make tough or difficult decisions quickly, and remain calm under stress and pressure. At The ISA, we work to ensure that those taking on leadership roles or training for them understand the full scope of their responsibilities. Fire Stunt Leaders (FSL) vs. Stunt Coordinators: In our educational framework, the Fire Stunt Leader (FSL) is responsible for overseeing all fire-related aspects of the stunt, from design to Risk Assessment and paperwork, to ensuring everyone knows their role and has the necessary safety gear and understands the protocols. This role differs from a Stunt Coordinator and we avoid using the work Coordinator (we'll explain why in a moment), who may be managing broader elements of the action sequence. In some productions, a Stunt Coordinator will oversee it, or work with dedicated fire specialists, as fire is often just one component of the larger stunt or action sequence. Academy vs. Industry Terminology: It’s also worth noting that we use specific terms for Fire Work at the Academy, because we also have Course Coordinators and Academy Coordinators, and additionally in some areas / regions of the performing arts Coordinators are junior, not senior, and we don't want confusion as Fire Training is complex enough. While our course participants are familiar with this educational framework, we are focused on preparing them to understand the whole concept and also to adapt to the workplace, where different titles and roles may be used, which is why we use a simple leadership framework which can easily translate across languages and borders. 4. Managing Excitement and Ambition: Staying Professional Under Pressure It’s natural for performers and crew to be excited about fire stunts and to become very stimulated, especially if they are new to this area of work. Fire is thrilling, visually mesmerising, it grabs and holds your attention, and can pump up adrenaline levels. However, when working with it you can't get distracted nd must focus on your roles, which requires sensitisation and training exercises. A Safety Crew that are too busy watching the action and not paying attention to the detail are a risk. So, excitement needs to be managed. For this reason, we require an unusually calm, methodical approach and atmosphere on set, which we see is essential to keeping the performer calm, building trust and avoiding incidents. Start Small, Stay Calm: At ISA, when training people for Fire Stunts, we always stress the importance of starting small, ensuring a good understanding of risks and risk management, informed consent, sticking to the plan, and following drills and rehearsals. In stressful moments techniques can fall away and people panic, so we train people and teach them to trust in their training. Even seasoned professionals can get over-ambitious, but fire stunts aren't like other performances, they have their own unique requirements, risks and any mistakes or failures can have extreme consequences. The plan is everything, and improvising or deviating from it is not advised. In fact we train all crew to remember a simple mantra: "If in doubt, put it out". in our training environment we would prefer an early extinguishing to letting something burn on, and empower everyone to act on their instincts - this is how people learn best and it also helps newcomers feel their roles and start to understand the challenge involved in monitoring a real time performance where someone may be acting a burn authentically, or actually in distress! 5. Extinguishing Methods: Layered Safety Systems Our approach to fire extinguishing follows a structured system of levels:
Additionally, we use a minimum of 2 CO2 crew members as equipment failures can happen, and even experienced people can miss a cue or freeze up. Having our CO2 crew entering from different angles also provides additional safety, giving redundancy in case of a primary failure or unexpected complications. 6. Communication and Signals: Clear, Loud, and Rehearsed Fire stunts rely on flawless communication, and strict comms protocols. Not only do performers wearing PPE and cold gel still need to be able to hear commands, but other ambient noise, distance and line of sight can make it hard to pass commands on, in a situation that is very time sensitive! We emphasise:
7. Professionalism and Paperwork: Trust the Process One of the most misunderstood aspects of fire stunts is just how much of paperwork and preparation is involved! Leading or coordinating fire stunts means handling everything from detailed risk assessments to compliance with legal standards and coordinating with all involved. This level of responsibility requires respect and recognition - not just from performers but from everyone involved, and if they say "No" that should be respected, not pushed hard against. They have the authority, responsibility and often the liability. Professionals who excel in fire stunt planning and coordination spend countless hours training, certifying, planning, communicating with safety officials, and preparing their teams, and their work starts long before you hear "Action!", and ends long after "Cut". 8. This Is Not a DIY Guide: Get Proper Training! We want to make it very clear—this article is not a comprehensive how-to guide. Managing fire stunts is a complex and risky process that should only be undertaken by trained professionals. At The ISA, we offer comprehensive fire stunt training programs, where students learn everything from Planning, Risk Assessment and mitigation, proper extinguishing techniques, drills, synchronised training, communication and collaborations, notifying and managing emergency services, different scenarios, fire knowledge, and that's all before we get into trying a fire stunt. If you're interested in working with fire or performing fire stunts, we strongly recommend seeking professional training, maintaining your certifications, and keeping your training up so skills remain fresh and relevant. Fire stunts bring a unique, thrilling element to film, TV, and live performances, but they require a level of professionalism, preparation, and trust that cannot be overstated. Proper planning, collaboration with safety officials, and ongoing training are key to executing spectacular fire stunts safely. At the ISA, we aim to train people to set and uphold the highest safety standards. We invite you to consult with us or participate in our training programs if you’re interested in performing or coordinating fire stunts, because we're happy to advise and safety always comes first. Comments are closed.
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AuthorThis blog os co-authored by The ISA Team Archives
November 2024
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10/9/2024