Accidents.

I've been meaning for a while to ask this question but have waited to see if the topic came up organically. As it could be a sensitive topic, I'll try to approach it as delicately as I can.

What's the most dangerous fire performing accident you've seen and how could it have been prevented/minimized?

I chose to put this in the technical section as I'm more curious about the safety aspect of it than making this a bragging or scar swapping session. Perhaps we can learn from eachother's experiences and prevent our own problems from occuring.

I didn't see exactly how this happened but some kids lit their fuel dump up. Looked like they spilled some fuel on the ground and then lit someone up over the spilt fuel. It was white gas, which has fumes that ignite very easily. Talk about a lake of fire. They were all dumbfounded. A bunch of us had to put it out for them.

That's the most dangerous accident I've ever seen and it could have been *totally* have been prevented cleaning up the spilt fuel and ***never*** lighting anywhere near the fuel dump.

Diana

I personally have set my hair on fire during a spin--just being a little ragged. My bucket-man had it out in 2 seconds. Solution: be cleaner and/or wet hair first.

I had a toddler wander through my performance space once--nothing bad happened, but it was pretty alarming. Where were the kid's parents? What were they thinking? Solution: don't let idiots breed.

I have seen several different kinds of equipment failures with poi:
1. wick falls apart
2. wick comes loose from connector
3. leather grip falls apart

In each case, the wick went flying. In none of the cases did it actually hurt anyone or anything, which is pretty amazing (some of these happened lit, some unlit). Solution: use sound equipment and inspect it regularly.

[This message has been edited by adamrice (edited 26 July 2001).]

The worst equipment failure I've seen happened when Joseph was spinning one of the first set of wicks I built at the ECSF. One of the swivel-clips broke and sent a wick flying about 30 feet. Fortunately it landed in a pile of snow well away from anyone or any thing, but it *could* just as easily have landed on Katja's roof.

The clip that failed was rated at 35 lbs. I now do not use any hardware rated at less than 100 lbs. And, I now inspect my equipment much more regularly.

-p.

if your worried about burnd and such you can buy this stuff that stunt mean put on there skin when they light them selves on fire so it does not burn there skin. its live vasaline, but better. if your worried about your hair shave it all off. I have no hair on my body except my eye brows lol

Hmmm...Mr.Mo, I like this question.
Well...the Doug incident in NYC (he set his chest on fire) could've been prevented with a bit more spin off and he had never used white gas before so he didn't realise how different of a fuel it could be, answer...education.
Anyone remember when Dangerboy's whip went psycho and gave in 2nd/3rd burns on his hand? Looking at the wick design where he got it from (some site online) it is an easy adjustment to keep if from doing that, don't have the wick fabric circling out the top of the handle.
Wicks flying from faulty parts, yup. No one has ever gotten hurt and have seen it several times. Checking and tightening things on a regular basis solves that.
Now my personal favorite, when fuel drips onto clothes and then ignites. This is just a matter of lack of caution and attentiveness.
Flaming fuel spattering people...I wear some nice scars from a girl in NH who didn't spin her poi off before lighting and going for it near people. I recieved a nice flamey splash on my arm that could've been avoided by her spinning/squeazing off.
Adam, I have had a person cut in front of my four wicked poi once in NH (same idiot girl in fact). What the hell was she thinking??? I now draw a line that the audience doesn't cross and Whipping Boy is great about keeping people behind it.
Lastly, the most frightening, comes from irresponsible eaters/blowers who don't shake off excess fuel and who don't wipe the excess fuel off of their faces, or who use the wrong fuel...in other words, a complete lack of intelligent responsibility, blow backs where the performers face and sometimes body and clothes catch on fire. It's the one people have died from. Also causing things like this are changing in wind direction or loss of focus. Solution, don't do it unless you are responsible, informed and mindful of everything around you.
Okay...my knowledge base ends there. Next.

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Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...
http://www.pyromorph.com

Hrmm... Thanks muchly guys. I'm surprised I didn't get more stories. Perhaps I should have posted this in the more heavily trafficed "Social Discussion"

you want me to move it for you baby? no problem...

Thanks beautiful, You're still not getting my clubs.

we had one of our performers inhale some fuel while breathing. He continued to perform and inhale more fuel. by the time we reached the end of the procession down the road he was having a lot of trouble breathing and could hardly walk.

we rushed him to hospital where he went straight on to O2 and morphine. :0

so be very bloody careful when you're Fire Breathing.

play safely.

last night my friend tried spinning fire for the 1st time. He went into the butterfly, and the wrapped/tangled around his wrists.

Sindged hairs... thats about all. I was sure he was going to be burned. but he was ok

Hasn't anything to do with poi - but when a couple of friends and I was breathing fire and eating fire a couple of accidents did happen.

The most dangerous with those acts are if you swallow the fuel and get's anything in you lungs. If you do get anything in your lungs you'll get out of breath, pains in the chest etc.

Well, one of my friends (who enjoyed breathing fire to the extent that we called him "Dragon") once woke up with horrific pains. He called the emergency room and told them what he'd been doing.
"you'll get over here right away"
"OK, I'm getting my bike already"
"No BIKE, take a cab - and make it quick!" was the respose.

Well, he is alive to this day...

Well last night I was getting in some extra practice with my beaming poi in anticipation of my first fire spin (supposed to be tonight). I somehow screwed up a transition ot of the windmill and caught myself in the chin. It split an inch long and probably needed stitches. The scariest part about this is that I was spinning at about 60% velocity.

Needles to say I am going to hold off on the fire poi for a little bit.

Opening Ceremony last year - during one of the training sessions fuel was dripping from one stiltwalkers's helmet (they had "branches" on the helmets with wicks on the end) down onto his back... he was wearing one of those materials that fire melts easily... not nice...

Then there was the fact that the firebreathers had to run close to each other while Fire Breathing (one guy standing still Fire Breathing, another running to get in front of him...)

There was the time I almost ran into one stiltwalker's staff, and the wick was just at head height...

And the dress reheresal where two barrels of OMS was replaced with metho... that was scary...

Funnily enough, the worst burn in the whole of that was when one of the performers put some insect repellent and slept in the sun... got a nasty burn out of that...

It isn't a very bad accident, but it could serve to reiterate a point by telling it. I decided one night to spin without a spotter. So halfway through a set my cables became tangled during a butterfly trick and tied themselves onto my left arm. With no spotter and nothing at hand to kill the flame, I managed to get a nasty burn along the bottom of my arm, leaving a oogly scar. Ouch. Always use a spotter of some sort guysngals

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1. CAUTION: Knife is very sharp. Keep out of children
2. A truly wise man never plays leapfrog with a unicorn.
3. Always remember to pillage BEFORE you burn.