Playa del Fuego embraces Open Fire and Flame Effects Art, Fire Spinning, and camp fires conducted in a safe and responsible manner. The reality of a tent fire or a more serious situation arising from its misuse is a threat to the future of our event and participant safety. Violation(s) of these policies could result in confiscation of the art and/or ejection from the event. 

 

Firewood

Firewood is included in your ticket price. It is available while supplies last. Participants are welcome to take as much firewood as they need from the designated pile; but please be considerate and don’t hoard firewood. Don’t take wood once it is stacked under burning art or from volunteer departments.

Note:  due to the Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine – it is illegal to carry firewood across state lines.  Do not bring your own firewood to PDF!

Like to burn a lot of wood? Theme camps can work with each other and the Planning Committee to coordinate the purchase and delivery of wood.

 

Open Fire and Flame Effects

All fires, regardless of the fuel, must be: 

• Attended at all times
• Extinguished immediately at the request of any member of the Fire Safety Team or a Ranger
• Extinguished immediately if the wind picks up such that the fire throws sparks
• Maintain a safety perimeter of one and a half times the height of the flame effect 
• Have 5 gallons of water or 5 lb. ABC Fire Extinguisher, or both, as appropriate for fuel type
• All liquid fuels must be maintained at a minimum of 30 ft from any fire, ignition, or radiant heat.  
• All fires are to have a burn shield or be elevated minimum 6 inches to avoid burn scars. 
• Fuel storage areas must have a “No Smoking” sign posted

Special Considerations: 

Fire Spinning

• Fire Spinners must have an accompanying safety.  No exceptions.
• Safety must have fire blanket/duvet and extinguisher, either a double can or locking container dump system
• No Fire Spinning near combustibles.
• Maintain a safety perimeter for spinners and audience 

 

Fireworks

Pyrotechnics and fireworks are defined as a device or assembly of materials containing gunpowder, explosives, or any other combustible substances that explode when ignited. 

• All pyrotechnics and fireworks must be pre-registered and approved by the Burning Art Safety Team – no exceptions
• Use of unapproved pyrotechnics and fireworks, or use of approved pyrotechnics and fireworks in an unapproved manner, may result in event ejection  

 

Flame Effects and Propane Flames

A Flame Effect is defined as the combustion of solids, liquids, or gases to produce thermal, physical, visual, or audible phenomena and includes all flames that are automated, switched, pressurized or having any other action than simply being lit on fire and includes any project or art using propane or other liquid or gaseous fuels.

The majority of Flame Effects utilize Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LP), more commonly referred to as propane. Regardless of fuel type or technological basis, all Flame Effects must be constructed in such a way as to meet or exceed applicable laws, codes, and industry standards and with the safety of the event and participants in mind.

These standards can be found in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) documents, Sections 54 and 58, The LP Gas Codes, as well as Section 160 that deals with flame effects with a live audience. NFPA documents are available for viewing and purchase on the NFPA website and should be reviewed by all Flame Effects artists.

• Flame Effects must be approved for use onsite by the Fire Safety team. 
• Flame Effects must be constructed in such a way as to meet or exceed applicable laws, codes, and industry standards.
• All Flame Effects and propane powered art must have a 1/4-turn shut-off valve that is exposed, visible at all times, and CLEARLY MARKED as the Emergency Fuel Shut Off and must inhibit ALL fuel flow to the flame effect, regardless of how many gas cylinders are connected to the flame effect. 
• All fuel lines, supply pipe, tubing, hoses, and fittings are to be manufactured and rated for  the type of fuel being used and the maximum operating pressure of the effect.
• Large scale fuel storage is to be pre-registered with the Burning Art Safety Team and identified by type and amount on the site map 
• LP Gas Containers shall be designed, fabricated, tested, and marked in accordance with the regulations of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) or the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. DOT cylinders shall not be overdue for periodic requalification and be in good working order. Tanks in poor condition or out of date are a danger to fill and may cause injury to the fuel team, the artists, and or participants.
• LP-Gas Flame Effects must have 1/4-turn shut-off valves at each fuel supply connection as a primary emergency fuel shut-off point. These valves must be exposed and visible at all times. 
• All LP-Gas Hoses that will be operated in excess of 5 psi shall be designed for a working pressure of at least 350 psi and shall be continuously marked by the manufacturer to indicate its maximum operating pressure and compatibility with LP-Gas.
• Air or pneumatic lines are not acceptable as fuel hose. LP gas degrades rubber hose not specifically designed for use with that fuel. This results in the hose cracking from the inside out, potentially leading to a catastrophic failure.
• Hose clamps are prohibited on LP-Gas hoses. All hose connections shall be factory made, or constructed with a crimped fitting specifically designed for that purpose.
• Plumbing fixtures are prohibited from being used in a pressurized segment.
• All LP-Gas metallic piping and fittings that will operate at a pressure greater than 125 psi shall be a minimum of schedule 80.
• All metallic tubing joints shall be flared (soldered joints are prohibited).
• Fuel Accumulator tanks for use with flammable or liquefied gas shall be designed, manufactured, and tested in accordance with the ASME Boiler Pressure Vessel Code or the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the pressure of the gas in use.
• If the gas supply pressure exceeds the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) of the accumulator, a regulator shall be installed between the fuel supply and the accumulator to reduce the pressure below the accumulator’s MAOP. A pressure relief valve shall also be installed in the accumulator with a start-to-leak setting at or below the MAOP and a rate of discharge that exceeds the flow rate of the supply container.

Generator Policy

If you bring your own generator you have an obligation to ensure that it’s used in a safe manner and are trained in it’s safe fueling and operation. 

• Attended at all times
• Extinguished immediately at the request of any member of the Fire Safety Team or a Ranger
• Have a 5 lb. ABC Fire Extinguisher 
• Fuel must be maintained at a minimum of 30 ft from any fire, ignition, or radiant heat.  
• Fuel storage areas must have a “No Smoking” sign posted.
• Generators must be completely shut down prior to beginning refueling.
• Loud generators are to be properly baffled with fire retardant materials 
• No generators in areas marked “quiet camping” on the site map 

Burning Art 

If you are an Artist interested in Burning Art at PDF, there are some things you should be aware of.  Below is a list of materials that we have to prohibit from all fires at PDF, as well as safety guidelines that we must require of you in order to prevent damage and/or disasters at PDF. Please be aware that if you do not follow these guidelines, you may not be able to burn your art.

Overview:

• Burnable art installations are to be placed by City Planning
• Burnable art installations must be approved for burning onsite by the Fire Safety team
• Large scale burnable art installations require a burn shield platform 
• Large scale burnable art installations are not allowed in any camping area.
• A safety perimeter of one and a half times the height of the flame effect is required.
• Any towers or artwork that incorporates fire shall be secured from the wind and for safety 
• If onsite conditions exist that make it unsafe or untenable to burn your art (e.g., too windy, torrential rain, drought or extremely dry conditions, etc), you will be expected to cleanup your art and remove it from the PDF location by noon on Monday.

PROHIBITED MATERIALS

• Any solid accelerant, pyrotechnics, fireworks(or device containing it) without previous approval of the Burning Arts Team and inclusion in the Burn Plan
• No magazines/newspapers/cardboard/paperboard/posterboard/phonebooks/etc. Contact the Burning Arts Coordinator if you need an exception to this rule, such as heavy mailing tubes.
• No synthetic fabrics (synthetics can throw off flakes of burning, melting ash)
• Only a minimal amount of natural fabrics may be used in any piece- consult Burning Arts Coordinator before burning.
• No glue-based wood materials such as micro density fiberboard MDF, melamine.
• No chipboard/particleboard
• No flame retardants.
• No pressure-treated wood. (beware the green tint- it may contain arsenic)
• No plastics/PVC
• Nothing classified as a hazardous material by the postal service
• No oxidizers without previous approval of the Burning Arts Team and inclusion in the Burn Plan
• Anything (other than small amounts of magnesium ribbon and/or legal burnplan approved fireworks) that results in a class D (burning metal) fire is prohibited.
• No electrical components
• No color paper of any kind
• No pressure vessels (even empty ones); including spray paint cans, propane canisters, etc.
• No driftwood
• No gasoline
• No white gas
• No LNG (liquefied natural gas)
• No paint with a heavy metal pigment (red/yellow/black lead, cadmium, chrome etc)
• No more than a minimal amount of duct tape. It should only be used as a fastener. Paper based tape would be preferred.

**If you have questions, contact the Burning Arts Coordinator or Fire Safety Lead BEFORE you

burn**

SAFETY AND CLEAN UP GUIDELINES

1. Stuff burning on the main pad needs to fit inside 16′ equilateral pyramid. (If little bits, like the horn of a unicorn, stick out, that’s fine.)
2. If you aren’t on the pony pad, it needs to fit inside an 8′ x 8′ x 8′ cube to fit on the roadway.
3. No piece can be larger than 17 feet tall EVER. We do not have the ability to control a fire

piece larger than that. 

4. Your piece needs to be in place on its burn pad and complete by 5pm on the day of your

scheduled burn. Your piece gets fueled 30 minutes prior to your scheduled burn time. After your piece gets fueled, you need to have at least one member of the art team physically present to keep an eye on it (keep an eye out for smokers, folks spinning poi, etc). Presoaking logs with fuel can improve the lighting of your piece; if you’re not burning on a stack, consider presoaking a few. This needs to be covered explicitly in the Burn Plan.

5. Please use ferrous hardware (screws, nails, etc) that can be picked up with a magnetic

sweeper. If you have an artistic need to use small, sharp, non-ferrous pieces (brass tacks or whatever), please alert the Burnings Arts Coordinator (it affects cleanup on Monday).

6. As the artist, please verify that your piece has been cleaned up prior to Monday at noon.

(Historically, the fire team has a pretty good record on handling cleanup, but remember – fire team is not responsible for your piece being cleaned up, you are.)

7. As a general rule of thumb, accelerants that are thicker than water (kero, diesel, lamp oil, tiki fuel, bio-diesel (this probably won’t work well, but we won’t object to you using it), paraffin, etc) is allowed, and most of the ones thinner than water (gasoline, white gas, coleman fuel, LNG, etc) are not. If you’re unsure, ask Burnings Arts Coordinator. Any kind of pressurized canister is not allowed. Remember, the goal is to burn wood, not accelerants, and with proper construction, you don’t need much accelerant.
8. Without prior approval, burning art pieces may not be used as elevated observation platforms or climbable art. If an artist is interested in making their burnable art interactive in this manner, please contact the Burning Arts Team (via the email on the PDF page) in advance of applying for an art grant. (They’re a safety hazard before they burn, and making them mechanically strong enough means using wood that’s thick enough to burn for a long, long time.)
9. Do not transport firewood (including brush and driftwood) across state lines, due to concerns about transporting pests like the emerald ash borer.