Venue Information
If you’re reading this, you could be hosting our next fire manipulation workshop! This page acts as an resource to help you understand what we do, what we look for in a venue and most importantly, how we keep you, your property and our students safe!
The information below explains what we do, what we look for in a venue, as well as addresses common questions venue owners have regarding the use of fire. If you’re not much of a reader, but think your space would be suitable, feel free to skip to our venue requirements, or contact us.
What is "Fire Manipulation"?
Fire Manipulation is a blanket term for various tricks typically performed with a pair of fire torches. The most famous of which, is fire eating! We also use some funky science to make the fire do our bidding. Some of these techniques involve extinguishing the torch using only the physics that the fire itself creates. We also trace lines of fuel on to our bodies to create “fuses” from one torch to another. Perhaps the most sought after technique though, is vapour manipulation. This is where we hold/expel fuel vapour from our mouths to create some awesome effects!
Who we train
We have a wide variety of students come to see us for various different reasons. Some are professional performers who have had prior experience with fire. Others however, are bucket listers and people just looking to do something new and interesting!
Our venue requirements
Our needs are pretty simple! Some are essential whereas others are just preferable. Suitable venues range from warehouses, dance studios right through to theatres. Essentially, if it’s a big(ish) open space, we can usually work with it! Most of our needs are common sense and relate to fire safety however, I will list them below…
Essentials: Open space with hard floors (no carpet!). Windows or a door with access to the outside (to air the room out periodically). Any combustible items can be removed (table cloths, aerial equipment etc). Ability to isolate/turn off the fire alarm or temporarily cover the sensors (more on this later).
It’s a bonus if your venue has: lighting, seating, heating, a central location, on site parking.
Venue Testimonials
How a workshop works
Workshops are usually held on a Saturday/Sunday and last a minimum of 6 hours with several breaks during the day to rest and air out the space. This helps keep our lungs healthy and your venue clean! Typically, I like the workshops to go from 12pm – 6pm and have an extra 2 hours afterward for “play time” and for students to take part in a photography session. This is so students can practice what they learned and also get some professional photos to commemorate their experience.
Setting up usually takes around an hour but is very venue specific. If floors need to be swept/things moved etc, I will need earlier access. Packing up and leaving the venue is much quicker (typically around 20 minutes!). Generally I need to arrive around 10am, get set up for students arriving for 12pm and leave around 8pm.
Who Am I?
My names Tom! My sole job is teaching people how to manipulate fire (and everything that comes with it). My first time handling fire was as a juggler at the age of 8. My passion however, lies in teaching. I have all the necessary qualifications needed to keep you, your venue and my students safe. These include fire marshal, fire awareness, COSHH, risk assessment & first aid (level 3) certification as well as having public liability insurance. I also have in depth risk assessments in place for fire safety, control of substances hazardous to heath and general health and safety in line with HSE.GOV.UK and their guidance.
Our setup
Our workshops are compromised of 5 areas. A table where students can sign the necessary documents (liability/PARQ forms), a seating area, a training area, a fuelling station, and our portable photography studio. The highest risk is of course, the fuelling station. For this reason, it is kept a comfortable distance away from the training area and all fuel is kept inside a “double bucket system” to catch stray fuel/vapours. Fire is not allowed to leave the training area at any point during the workshop. This ensures it cannot come in contact with the fuelling station. In the extremely unlikely event that the fuelling station does catch fire. Extinguishing it is as simple as closing the lid on the fuel container. This starves the flame of oxygen, thus extinguishing it!
Safety equipment is always to hand. We have multiple fire extinguishers for various uses. Most importantly, one near the fuelling station and a smaller, more conveniently handled one next to the training space. A fire blanket is also kept on my person throughout the workshop for quick, emergency extinguishes.
Due to the nature of what we do. It is necessary to disable the fire alarms. This can be as simple as covering up the sensors themselves but some systems will also allow for isolating/disabling altogether. The former is the simplest solution! Due to there being no automated fire alarm, A loud manual alarm is kept to hand for any emergency.
Common concerns
Common concerns from venue owners are the risk of fire and damage/mess to their property. I will address both of these here.
By now, you have probably gathered that I take fire safety very seriously. I believe most accidents, particularly fire related ones come as a result of a lack of awareness and education. Ironically, these reasons are what makes my workshops very fire safe. As a fire manipulator and instructor, it is my job to understand and control fire. I believe that this, coupled with my fire safety training, makes me an ideal person to keep you and your property safe when working with fire.
So what about mess? Unlike some fire arts, we produce little to no mess! Unlike fire breathing, we are working with fuel vapours and not spraying liquid fuel from our mouths. We are also working with “small fire” in that our wicks are comparatively small compared to other props. The fuel we use burns cleaner than most and has a low flash point, meaning it will evaporate at temperatures well below room temperature, leaving behind a clean, stink free atmosphere! The only sign that we were ever at your venue would be some very, very small specks of soot here and there. I like to do a soot test at each workshop to check I’m keeping the air quality nice and healthy.
Closing notes
Depending on popularity, we like to visit venues multiple times per year. For this reason, we like to build a good relationship with our venue owners to keep them happy. We are currently working regularly with venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Sheffield Leeds, Manchester, Flint, Norfolk, Liverpool and Essex. Every venue is unique and you will surely have your own questions and concerns. Because of this, I encourage you to talk to me! Most risks can be mitigated effectively and we’re all about problem solving. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you want to get in touch, please fill out the form below. If you prefer, you can contact me direction by emailing tom@fireinyourface.com
Sounds good? Get in touch!
Feel free to email me directly using Tom@fireinyourface.com, or fill out the form below, and I’ll be in touch.