There are a few safety issues to address when playing with fire. They can be roughly divided up into the following areas:

• General safety - general fire-related safety
• Personal safety - safety for yourself
• Spectator safety - safety for those around you
• Environmental safety - safety for the area in which you are performing

General safety

General safety covers the basics. You should have the following equipment nearby when performing with fire, even if you're only practising:

• Fire extinguisher
• Fire blanket
• Bucket of water

Make sure the fire extinguisher you have on hand is suitable for the sort of fuel you are using. Fire blankets make it easy to put out your equipment, if you don't want to finish until it burns out, and for putting yourself and spectators out. Hopefully, though, that won't be necessary. :-)

Personal safety

This covers safety to yourself. This means not using lit equipment while you are trying something new, or practising something difficult or dangerous. Always make sure you are confident with what you are doing before lighting up. The last thing you want to do is whack yourself with a lit staff or poi.

Choose your clothes carefully. Cotton is good, polyester is bad. Polyester, and many other man-made fabrics, melt, rather than burn. If a cotton shirt catches alight, you can usually whip it off or put it out before it does and substantial damage. However, polyester will melt onto your skin with surprising speed. Polyester: looks good, burns bad.

Spectator safety

Spectator safety is probably even more important than personal safety. You know that you shouldn't wear polyester. Joe Public does not. You know what your limits are. Joe Public does not. It's all fine and well to take these risks for yourself, but it's unfair to put Joe Public at risk.

If you're performing among fellow fire performers, then everyone knows what's what. If you're performing among assorted friends, such as at a party, then at least you can tell people to back off and/or keep their distance. However, if you're busking, or performing at a gig, you really have to keep an eye out, especially if your gigging at a venue that supplies alcohol.

I've discovered that people can be more stupid than sheep. At least sheep will run away when they notice fire. I've been performing in the middle of the city, and people just wander right through the area you are using, even if you mark it off with tape or something. I don't know whether it's because people think they own the pavement, or whether they're genuinely ignorant of what you are doing, but either way, you have to be on your toes.

Environmental safety

Not quite the same thing as voting green. :) This means that you're taking care of the area in which you are performing, trying not to set it alight.

For example, choose your location with care. Bitumen (as found on roads and in carparks) is great. It won't burn, you get good grip on the ground, and it doesn't matter too much if you spill your fuel. Smooth concrete is bad. As you perform, you'll drip small amounts of fuel on it, and it can get very slippery. Sand is good, and won't kill your wick when you drop your equipment on it by accident. Sand can be a bit difficult to move around on, though...

Dry grass is bad. Especially in summer. Make sure that if it catches alight, you encourage the people around you to help you put it out! If you don't tell them otherwise, they may think it's part of the show.

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