Fire safety in Theatre and Film is really important because of the amount of people working on the set at any one time a fire breaking out could have disastrous affects due to the flammable materials that are used to create sets, props and costumes.
Fire retardant. This does not mean that it will not burn, to protect something in this manner simply means that the burning of the material will be slower and give more time for people to evacuate the building/set.
NDFR- this stands for Non Durable Fire Retardant. If the object that is classed as a NDFR is wetted, retardant must be applied afterwards as it will not stay retardant. Humid conditions also mean it will have to be reapplied. Any outdoor work taking place will have to take NDFR materials into consideration.
DFR- Durably Flame Retardant. Costumes and curtains are in this category. They will have to be applied with Flame retardant every few days because costumes get washed and the retardant will eventually wash out if not re-applied every so often.
IFR- Inherently Flame Retardant (or PFR Permanently Flame Retardant) This means once it has been treated it is safe throughout the materials life and does not need to be reapplied.
Flamebar
Flamebar is a type of flame retardant and it comes in a variety of types depending on the type of materials used in the set/props and costumes.
Fire proofing Poly is important as when polystyrene burns it gives off poisonous fumes. By Scrimming the Poly using PVA and muslin the poly becomes safer as long as there are no bare edges to the object and it is completely covered.
MDF this comes in different colours depending on what is required.
Brown is the standard
Green is water RESISTANT it is not water proof but will withstand a certain amount of water.
Pink is fire resistant and is so in two classes.
Ist class- a low spread of fire
0 class is for areas where limited combustibility is required in high-risk areas such as escape routes.
Paints. Paints can be mixed with fire retardant liquid to make them safe for use on sets and props. Rosco are a good company to use when dealing with paints. Roscoflamex P50 is one type of flame retardant liquid you can use.
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