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Icarus FordeBRONZE Member
Just Icarus//Spinner//Pyro//Geek
261 posts
Location: New Zealand


Posted:
Okay.... Here's the deal.

I went out for a session of firestaffing about an hour and a half ago.

I get down to the local part about ten minutes from where I live, and set my stuff up. It's the third time I've lit up there, about the tenth time all up with practices and such.

First spin goes ok, I run into a couple there with their kid, and the father seems interested, so I give him the rundown of the basics and he has a go with my practice staffs.

Second spin, again, goes ok. I finish spinning, go back to soak the staff, explain a bit more to the father. I light up, rid the staff of excess kero, wipe it down, etc, and then give it over to the father for a try. About halfway through, just as he's going well, a guy walks over with a torch.

Thinking it's a neighbor, I give him a wave. He walks into the ring of light from the staff, and it's a cop. As he gets closer, another cop car rolls round the corner, and pulls up, just sitting at the curb.

Crap.

So, I have to explain that the 17 year old guy is the one who knows what he's doing, and the older guy (twenties?) is just having some fun. They end up taking my details, name, number, address... All that jazz. I get shut down, and agree to go home.

I'm packing up, and as I'm nearly done, I hear this mega loud engine coming up, look up and there's a bloody firetruck rolling down the road. >.<

They see me, and wave, and keep going - the result of the cop on his radio - and I finish packing up.

So that's my night.

My question, however, is this: What the heck do you do in this situation? How do you deal with the local authorities? Do you talk to the neighbors in the area that you are going to be lighting up in, call the fire station before you do and tell them, let the police know, etc?

Or do you just do as I do and rock up, set up and set light?

Edit: in summary, I caused the callout of 11 people. Four cops, seven firemen. Whoops. :|

Either way, it was a good spin, but was a bit lame with the cops rolling up and getting shut down. frown

EDITED_BY: Icarus Forde (1271495040)

Zephyre PhoenixFamiliar stranger giving out popcorn. (formerly Ascilith)
1,264 posts
Location: Lawrence, KS


Posted:
Similar situation happened to me. Cept I had my rents with too (they wont let me spin alone till I'm 18... tongue2

Cept this was my very first time lighting up, I got MAYBE a minute into it when one cop car came... censored...

So I get to explain to the cops what I do, and my parents explain the safety involved, the cop says he doesn't know the regulations on that, but that I should probly shut down and find a better place to do it. I've used my back yard ever since...

Never take candy from strangers...... But popcorn is okay!


MidkiffBRONZE Member
shadow stranger
462 posts
Location: Carmi, Illinois, USA


Posted:
ok you are supposed to have fire insurance on anyone who is spinning fire and have a certified fire safety person nearby in larger cities you will be ticketed multiple times for said offence

"Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able, and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" - Epicurus


letitburnslacker of biblical proportions
44 posts
Location: hongcouver


Posted:
shitty pigs never bug me when im on the beach just the pigs in toronto try to be all fuckin super pig it was raining all day and i was spinning on concrete and they roll up like im beating some one down with it

float like a butterfly and sting like when i pee


FugeeBRONZE Member
Cooler than bubblegum!
2,501 posts
Location: Dallas, Texas, USA


Posted:
I would contact the local fire brigade first.

In Porirua, they gave me an odd look, tips on fire safety and told me anywhere an open fire was permitted. It was years ago though, things may have changed.

I would certainly inform anyone living locally about what you were doing to prevent panic. Assure them you are taking the proper safety measures and that you have already consulted the local fire station.

It's likely that an onlooker misunderstood what was happening and called the police with their concern.(Can't blame them)

Hope you find a safe, and secure place to spin. Good luck

The popcorn extends life... The popcorn expands consciousness...


Flint_413GOLD Member
Fire Artist and Hooper
181 posts
Location: U.S.A


Posted:
Yeah, I've run into similar problems. But I've become jaded with the local authorities and have decided not to take the proper steps until I have authorities willing to work with me. I've done the "Contact the fire chief, explain what I do in verbal and written form (8 pages of info with pictures) blah blah blah" and I STILL get shut down because its "not a good idea" (no valid legal reasoning just that its "not a good idea") so now I've given up on asking permission and I just do it. No one has complained when I just do it. I've had cops drive right by me when I have a huge blaze going and nothing. But once I try to ask permission I get shut down and even threatened with arrest on occasion.

But I also do poi which doesn't look like a fire so much as burn off's with staffs do. And I'm with Midkiff, I wouldn't let anyone with just a few minutes of practice try anything with the fire. I've had friends hold torches for pictures or let them light my poi etc but not actually do anything with it.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of my way.


Icarus FordeBRONZE Member
Just Icarus//Spinner//Pyro//Geek
261 posts
Location: New Zealand


Posted:
Originally Posted By: AscilithSimilar situation happened to me. Cept I had my rents with too (they wont let me spin alone till I'm 18... tongue2

Cept this was my very first time lighting up, I got MAYBE a minute into it when one cop car came... censored...

So I get to explain to the cops what I do, and my parents explain the safety involved, the cop says he doesn't know the regulations on that, but that I should probly shut down and find a better place to do it. I've used my back yard ever since...
Wow, that sucks. First time spinning and all.... frown

I would use my backyard, but it's just not big enough. I can do some things real slow... But other than that it's just too cramped.

Originally Posted By: Midkiffok you are supposed to have fire insurance on anyone who is spinning fire and have a certified fire safety person nearby in larger cities you will be ticketed multiple times for said offence
I'm assuming this is in America? We don't *have* fire insurance that I know of and we certainly don't have fire marshalls or whatever here... :\

Originally Posted By: Refuge CrewI would contact the local fire brigade first.

In Porirua, they gave me an odd look, tips on fire safety and told me anywhere an open fire was permitted. It was years ago though, things may have changed.

I would certainly inform anyone living locally about what you were doing to prevent panic. Assure them you are taking the proper safety measures and that you have already consulted the local fire station.

It's likely that an onlooker misunderstood what was happening and called the police with their concern.(Can't blame them)

Hope you find a safe, and secure place to spin. Good luck
Yeah, I'm gonna go and talk to all the neighbors on the Monday afternoon after most of them are home from work (hopefully). It's just odd, third time I've spun there, but meh.

I'll keep an eye out for local parks with nobody living round them. wink


Originally Posted By: Flint_413Yeah, I've run into similar problems. But I've become jaded with the local authorities and have decided not to take the proper steps until I have authorities willing to work with me. I've done the "Contact the fire chief, explain what I do in verbal and written form (8 pages of info with pictures) blah blah blah" and I STILL get shut down because its "not a good idea" (no valid legal reasoning just that its "not a good idea") so now I've given up on asking permission and I just do it. No one has complained when I just do it. I've had cops drive right by me when I have a huge blaze going and nothing. But once I try to ask permission I get shut down and even threatened with arrest on occasion.

But I also do poi which doesn't look like a fire so much as burn off's with staffs do. And I'm with Midkiff, I wouldn't let anyone with just a few minutes of practice try anything with the fire. I've had friends hold torches for pictures or let them light my poi etc but not actually do anything with it.
Yeah.... I think I'm gonna have a chat to the cops. I have some friends there, so that shouldn't be too much of an issue. I'll offer them a show... tongue2

Mmmm, I think staffing has some larger flames than Poi. I've got three inch wicks on the staff I'm using at the moment, going to go way up on that when I build my own one (~8 inch... call me crazy but they work for me)... Especially when you build up some speed, I just have rings of fire around me. It's certainly understandable why they called the police... I think I'll get the fire service some chocolates or something to say sorry for calling them out... They're all volunteers. :\

SpinnerofDetroitGOLD Member
All High Dude, Ruler of What You Want
2,280 posts
Location: Trenton, MI, USA


Posted:
I am actually planning on seeing if I can perform at a couple of city events. I plan on going straight to the fire dept and seeing what they know about that kind of stuff and ask who I talk to to arrange it.

The only luck is bad luck.

Shut up before I stall my poi up your ass grin



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