8 months ago, i was requested to build a bullet point list for fire marshals who would be inspecting fire performers in the So. Cal. area. I feel that I was VERY public in this notice as well as in the request for assistance in this endeavor. I posted it on the NAFAA list, and in my blog
and to anyone who would listen. But the response was still pretty minimal and we did the best that we could.
Here are the results.
Basically the NAFAA regs with a few points removed and worded from the other side of the permit.
An LA county fire marshal took notice of these and asked to have a meeting about them. I posted this too.
So, today, I get a call from... let's say, a 'concerned community member' ... asking if the was a way we could get the bullet point list on the NAFAA site annotated before the County marshall implements his version. *Sigh* i was torn between two forces.
First, yeah, that's the whole point of NAFAA and the intermediary position I've taken between the fire performance community and the fire suppression community.
On the other hand, NAFFA has been around for SEVEN YEARS, the performer safety guidelines have been in place for FIVE YEARS, the current version for TWO YEARS, the bullet points for EIGHT MONTHS, and it is now fully FOUR MONTHS *after* the meeting with this guy. ITS A LITTLE GODDAMN LATE.
What's worse is that the community started chittering about this, held secret meetings about it, and have been spreading rumors for four months WITHOUT EVER ONCE ASKING ME THE DETAILS!!!!!! People are "voicing concerns" about this line item or that one, without ever asking ANY of the following questions:
1) Will the bullet point list get implemented whole-cloth by the county? The answer is No. Several points were crossed off during the meeting and the ENTIRE thing will definitely be reworded. Honestly, I don't remember the details, but a lot of the items were not adopted. But i can say that he definitely wasn't interested in a lot of the performer-directed safety items like costuming.
2) Will this be law, or change the laws in cities that have their own fire departments? No, it's classified as training materials, its not code, nor law, but just a step down from policy. Individual departments will still write the permits, they'll just have a uniform guideline from which to start. And other county departments like LA City, Santa Monica, Culver City, etc won't be affected at all. This can only have an effect in these cities.
3) Was I pushing to have the whole thing implemented? No, I entered the meeting looking to keep the regulations down as much as possible. I went to explain things. For example, I clarified the audience separation items. And I think he got it. He really got it. In case no one remembers, I used to pull people into my act to display the safety of the sword. My audience separation was measured in millimeters. But, when we're talking about spinning tools, yeah, I think there should be -some- separation. Fire eating, not so much. Drunk wild crowds, yeah, separation, sitting at dinner tables, not so much. Etc.
4) Is the fire marshall still open to input about this matter? We covered a lot of ground, he took a lot of notes, he might be completely done with it. Besides, how is he gonna feel about a gaggle of 'fire artists' whining that they want to wear feathers or sit in the audience while they breathe fire? *sigh*
Is it really so hard to say, "Hey, what's up with that?" Drop an email, make a phone call, or just post it on Tribe.... sheesh. And how delusional do you have to be to hold a meeting, represent it as something I put together but couldn't attend, and then expect it not to get back to me? Heck I knew about it before it happened (though, it did take a couple of weeks before I was told that I was being represented as part of it).
Here's a couple of suggestions for our community of daredevils:
1) If someone is publicly taking action to make your life easier, and you're not willing to help in any way, don't be surprised when those actions affect you. In short, if you don't vote, don't bitch.
2) If you have a real problem with someone, do whatever your spineless little ass needs to do to sort it out with them privately before making public drama about it.
3) Get your fuggin facts straight. And not just about this. That's a NAFAA credo. Learn about your art, get interested in it, find out about other cities, states and countries. Take an hour out to ask someone from some very different place what they have to go through to perform, the fuels they use, move names, etc. Take a couple of minutes out of a weekday morning and call a fire department and ask if they know anything about fire arts. Offer to educate them if they don't. Get their permitting procedure if they do.
Come on folks. There's a whole system of fire prevention out there. It's legally sanctioned by the laws of the land, and have the full backing of the constitution. DO NOT treat them like an enemy. You really don't want them as an enemy. And if you don't work with them, they won't work with, or for, you.
-Grumpy Tedward
NAFAA.org webmaster
