Fire Training Course

When you watch a movie that has a stunt performer on fire, you have to remember one thing, as exciting and visually appealing as the full body burn is on film, it is exactly that, a body fully on fire. This type of stunt work is extremely dangerous and must be done with the utmost safety. The stunt performer must use the highest quality fire safety products. Nothing is completely fireproof.

Everything will eventually burn if it stays on fire long enough. To perform a fire burn safely, everything must be carefully choreographed, rehearsed, and timed to the second.

Fire is like wind: If there is an opening, it will find a way in. Students will learn how to keep flames away from the most sensitive areas of the body, how long they can stay on fire and what type of movements to do while they are burning. Students will also learn to do partial burns, where the face stays uncovered (so the audience can still see it) and the performers can deliver lines, if the scene requires it.

Every student will acquire the knowledge to set up and safely perform a full body burn. For maximum safety and precaution, our experienced instructors will set up and "safety" during each burn. Each time a student does a full/partial burn they will be video taped and photographed, so that they will be able to view and critique their fire burn.

The Fire Course at the training center is arguably our most intense course, and certainly the most exciting. The first part of the course will cover everything about preparing for a fire burn.

The first part of the fire course students will learn the Terminology of Fire Product's:

• Fire suit -- Single, double or triple layer, Silver suit, Nomex, and Kevlar
• Fire retardant -- Long underwear, Nomex, PBI, Fire wear
• Gloves- Nomex, or Kynol
• Fire Hoods -- Drag racing style -- Nomex or Kynol
• Fire Gels -- Zel gel -- Stunt gel -- (which are not available to the public)
• Fire Extinguishers -- Co2 -- Halon - (which to use)
• Breathing Apparatus -- Pony bottle -- respirator -- holding your breath/how long?
• Additional Fire Safety Items -- Water -- wet blanket -- talcum powder
• Ignition Fuels -- Rubber cement -- custom blend
• Medical Safety Personnel -- Ambulance -- paramedic - EMT
• Which personnel you will need and when

The second part of the course will cover the fire burn set up. Students will be tested on their knowledge of all the safety products and preparation procedures before they will be able to advance to the third part of the course.

Students will learn the importance of each category in this part of the course:

• Why talcum powder on skin? - Steam burns.
• How many layers of long underwear? -- Underwear soaked in fire gel
• Fire Suit -- What type of material? -- How many layers?
• Fire gel on the skin -- How much? -- Where to put it -- When to put it on
• Breathing Apparatus -- How to use it -- When to use it
• Fire Extinguishers -- Testing -- Proper use -- Head to toe or toe to head
• Ignition -- Which fuel -- How much -- How to ignite
• Discussion on types of fire retardant, and their effect on the body. Some of them are not always safe.
• Burn Time -- How long? -- Proper body movement to maximize burn time

The final phase of this course will allow students to accomplish both a partial and full body burn. Again, no students will be allowed to participate in this part of the course unless they have passed the second part of the course.

Students will be divided into teams featuring one person to do the actual burn and the others doing the set up and safety, side by side with their instructor.

There will be a medical technician and vehicle on site for this day. All students will be videotaped to aid in critiquing their performance after the burn.

Each student will receive a certificate of completion after passing the course.

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