Listed below are the titles, responsibilities and ideal characteristics of the people who will fill key roles in the planning and execution of your fire art project. Not all roles are needed for all projects, but every fire art project needs at least a Fire Safety Liaison and a Leave No Trace Lead.
For your project to be successful, you must appoint knowledgeable, capable and enthusiastic people to these roles. When considering people to fill these roles, bear in mind that each role is important, and will require the full attention of the person chosen to fill it.
Fire Safety Liaison
The Fire Safety Liaison serves as the primary point of contact for all communication between your project and the Fire Arts Safety Team (FAST), and is responsible for ensuring that the artwork’s use of fire conforms to all applicable guidelines. This responsibility includes:
- Ensuring that all items of required documentation are complete and accurate.
- Receiving feedback and addressing questions and safety concerns raised by the FAST Artist Liaison assigned to evaluate the project’s documentation.
- Promptly providing documentation updates to FAST, whether in response to FAST feedback or to design changes independently undertaken by the project.
- Ensuring that the artwork is constructed and operated in accordance with the plan approved by FAST, and that the artwork will not be operated while any identifiable safety hazards are present.
Leave No Trace (LNT) Lead
The Leave No Trace (LNT) Lead is responsible for organizing daily clean-up around the art installation, as well post-burn or post-event clean-up. The person selected to be LNT Lead should be an early riser and should be adept at recruiting and organizing others to participate in clean-up efforts. Specific responsibilities include:
- Recruiting and organizing LNT crew and ensuring there are enough people for the task.
- Securing proper clean-up tools, including trash cans.
- Leading crew in both daily and post-burn or post-event clean-up efforts.
The post-burn or post-event clean-up includes pickup and removal of any unburned materials or materials left on the playa after dismantling the artwork (including any fuel or chemical residue), loose parts, pyrotechnic debris and any other Matter Out of Place (MOOP) on site. This includes any materials buried under the playa surface. All MOOP removed must be packed out of Black Rock City.
Once the post-burn or post-event clean-up has been completed, the artist and the LNT Lead must meet with Art Support Services (ASS) for an inspection of the site and final check-out.
For art installations on the open Playa (including pyrotechnics-only shows) the artist and the LNT Lead must meet with ASS after final clean-up for an inspection of the site.
Burn Lead
The Burn Lead on a level 1 open fire project is responsible for the planning and execution of the burn itself. This role is inward-facing during the burn, focusing on the safe preparation and ignition of the artwork. Specific responsibilities include:
- Creating, in cooperation with the Perimeter Lead, a timeline for the burn, starting from formation of the perimeter and ending with release of the perimeter.
- Planning for the safe placement of all fuels such as additional firewood, accelerants and/or pyrotechnic devices.
- Detailed plan for the ignition of the artwork including crew placement and roles.
- Detailed plan for hazard mitigation after the artwork collapses and before the perimeter is released.
- Plan for managing any delays caused by weather or other circumstances.
Pyrotechnics Lead
The Pyrotechnics Lead is responsible for all aspects of a project’s pyrotechnic display beginning with the planning and ending with the display itself. This role works closely with or may be combined with the role of Burn Lead if the display is part of an open fire burn. Specific responsibilities of the Pyrotechnics Lead include:
- Supplying a complete list of all pyrotechnic products to be used.
- Creating, in cooperation with the Perimeter Lead (and Burn Lead if any), a timeline for the show, starting from formation of the perimeter needed for the set up of the pyrotechnic devices and ending with release of the perimeter.
- Planning for the safe placement of all pyrotechnic devices.
- Detailed plan for the ignition of the pyrotechnics including crew placement and roles.
- Detailed plan for hazard mitigation and a sweep for unfired pyrotechnic devices before the perimeter is released.
- Plan for managing any delays caused by weather or other circumstances.
Perimeter Lead
The Perimeter Lead is responsible for the formation and management of the safety perimeter for your burn and/or pyro shoot, and for working with the FAST Lead assigned to supervise. This role is outward-facing during the burn and/or pyro shoot, to protect the safety of those who have come to watch.
The person selected to be Perimeter Lead should have excellent organizational and communication skills, and the ability to stay calm in the midst of chaos. Specific responsibilities include:
- Pre-event perimeter crew volunteer recruitment and organization.
- Designation of subordinate perimeter managers at the quadrant level and below, as needed.
- Educating the entire perimeter crew to ensure that every member understands how to run the perimeter.
- Obtaining safety vests for the entire crew.
- Complete perimeter management plan and timeline, including plan for managing delays caused by weather or other circumstances.
- On-site perimeter crew management.
- Liaison with FAST, Rangers and Emergency Services as needed.