HOLIDAYS AND OBSERVANCES
FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU
I realize the big “holiday season” is a few months past, but it never is the wrong time to plan for future holidays. Details of the fire code regulations affecting your community’s celebration of various holidays need to be communicated now.
Let’s take a look at two holidays, Halloween and Christmas. Specific activities conducted during these holidays certainly are affected by the fire code.
HALLOWEEN
Halloween, a time for ghosts and hobgoblins, is also a time for haunted houses. Haunted houses are often created by charitable organizations, although some “forprofit” houses also exist. The dark and maze-like atmosphere found in many of these operations creates dangerous conditions from a fire safety standpoint. History has proven this to be the case: A 1984 fire at a haunted house attraction at the amusement park Great Adventure in New Jersey took eight lives when it raced through a group of truck trailers designed as a haunted castle.
Model fire prevention and building code-writing bodies responded to this fire (following the lead of New Jersey’s state fire code writers) by creating code provisions for these structures. For example, the Uniform Fire Code and Uniform liuilding Code typically classify’ these “amusement buildings” as assembly occupancies. They may be of a permanent or temporary nature. These codes also have specific requirements for fire protection systems in amusement buildings, including:
- alarm and smoke-detection systemswith detection interlocks to stop confiis-
(Photo by author.)
(Photo by Jesse Sanchez, San Antonio, Texas, Fire Department.)
- ing sounds and visual effects, activate directional exit marking, and illuminate means of egress to not less than one footcandle on the floor;
- a public address system; and
- an automatic sprinkler system, with an exception for temporary facilities less than 1,000 square feet in size and with a travel distance of less than 50 feet from any point to an exit.
With these types of requirements, many organizations can be caught off guard when the time comes to open their haunted house (assuming they know they need a certificate of occupancy). It’s up to you to meet with them ahead of time to avoid problems down the line. With advance warning, these organizations can select a building that best meets the code requirements. They also can begin to develop the finances necessary to purchase their equipment.
Here are a few more tips on fire code requirements and haunted houses.
- Verify flammability of decorations (watch out for cellular foam plastics such as polyurethane) as required for places of assembly.
- Ensure that no open flames (lighters, matches, etc.) are used inside the haunted house. Ensure that all patrons are warned before they enter not to use open flames.
- Ensure that the operator knows what to do in case of fire, including
— the public address to be made,
— evacuation procedures to be followed,
— the duties of all haunted house employees/volunteers,
— the locations of fire extinguishers and how they are used,
— the location of the telephone to call the fire department.
- Make sure the number of people “let in” at one time is limited—don’t let an endless stream of people into the haunted house.
- Provide a leader for all groups.
- Consider using standby inspectors/firefighters for facilities that appear to present unusual hazards.
CHRISTMAS
Christmas is another holiday for which fire inspectors should prepare. In this case, Christmas trees, candles, and overcrowded churches are areas of concern.
Christmas trees are a symbol of the season and are placed in a variety of occupancies—churches, schools, hospitals, stores, and so forth. “Types” of trees include those that are cut, live (in a pot of dirt), artificial, and cut but treated with flame retardant.
Certainly, most fire inspectors know the hazards of cut Christmas trees. Trees have gotten the attention of code-making bodies as well as local jurisdictions that have enacted a plethora of Christmas tree amendments to the model codes. Normally, requirements restrict varieties of trees to specific occupancy types; in some cases -cut trees are banned altogether from certain occupancies.
Whatever the tree requirements are in your jurisdiction, make sure affected parties know the requirements ahead of time. Forcing a tree to be taken down during the holiday season is not a good public relations move.
Candles also are a topic of recent controversy. As reported in the July/August 1993 issue of The Building Official and Code Administrator magazine, the Anderson Township (OH) Fire Prevention Bureau recently was taken to court by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati for prohibiting the use of candles during church services. The Anderson Township fire code official cited BOCA’s 1990 National Fire Prevention Code, which the township had adopted, prohibiting handheld candles in places of worship, as well as a 1991 letter sent to all places of worship outlining the fire code requirements. The Hamilton County Common Pleas Court judge ordered the two parties to “reach a compromise” on the issue.
In the meantime, the Hamilton County Unified Fire Code Committee (composed of jurisdictions that adopt and enforce BOCA’s 1990 National Fire Prevention , Code, including Anderson Township) developed a set of detailed code amendments that would allow the use of candles under specific guidelines, including requirements for the use of fire evacuation plans, the appointment of a facility fire safety director trained in the use of extin-guishers, controlling candle distribution to people who may not be able to respond appropriately in the event of fire, noncom-. bustible candle collection containers, verbal fire safety anouncements, and regulations concerning “alternative” types of^ lighting devices.
Finally, be aware of overcrowding problems during Christmas services. Make sure aisles and exits are not blocked by addi-” tional seats (or Christmas trees, for that matter). Ensure that exits are not locked. Notify clergy members of these issues well -before Christmas.*
