Shaun Foster Posted February 22, 2005 Share Posted February 22, 2005 A little OT but similar idea..... I remember being told that the flyman (or somebody) would run along and cut all the hemp lines to drop the bars onto the stage if there was a fire to stop them falling on the firemen. Is this true or am I miss remembering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I believe this is true. Our local theatre keeps an axe on the fly floor for this very reason. I remember them talking about how the LA health and safety officer had a bee in his bonet about it being kept up there until they explianed the reasoning. T.D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Went in to Manchester Maplins (The big 1 near sainsbury's) yesterday. Apart from a mini strobe in the window display, all lights had G-clamps AND safetys :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noek Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 About cable ties... I have seen cable ties double as truss pins Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiLD Posted April 5, 2005 Share Posted April 5, 2005 This is what happens if you cable tie your bars to the ceiling:http://www.darrington.biz/ben/tour.jpgactually this is Christina/Justin concert and it was because the ceiling couldn't take the weight... but... you get the point...Rental companies I've used haven't put safety on their stuff but looking at 25kg max with two clamps on the movers and one clamp on the PARs... I wasn't too worried... but CABLE TIES?! are you serious about MOVERS with CABLE TIES... hehe can just imagine it... at MTV concert the MAC2000 start falling from the ceiling because they are melting through the non-thermosetting cable ties... Still can't believe this... cable ties... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted April 5, 2005 Share Posted April 5, 2005 I remember being told that the flyman (or somebody) would run along and cut all the hemp lines to drop the bars onto the stage if there was a fire to stop them falling on the firemen. Is this true or am I miss remembering?<{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think this is an oft repeated old wives tale. Current rules would suggest evacuation as the first and most important thing once an alarm goes off. As the flymen are also the ones who will take longest to get out, running around chopping rope seems a strange thing to do. Current fire fighting practice is to assess the risk, and if there is a chance bars will fall, the firefighters will stay out and let the fire burn. The axe is (as far as I've ever been able to find out) used to cut a line that is trapping someone. The idea being that you sever the hemp with the axe before the hemp severs the limb. The other idea of severing the limb.......... I hope I never have to do that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted April 5, 2005 Share Posted April 5, 2005 Also would this not cause a problem with false alarms etc? Could prove costly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tompw Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 The Assembly Rooms, Durham has an axe in the flys in a smash-box for cutting the hemp lines to the cloths. This is to prevent the flames spreading up the cloths and into the roof space. (Given that the wooden beams up there are tinder dry, a fire in the roof would bring the house down). Yes I know the cloth is fireproofed, but having lots of cloths hanginging about can creatre conditions that funnel the hot air upwards, making the blaze worse. (This same theatre has a roof vent right above the fly space, which is designed to open in teh event of a fire. The idea is taht this draws the smoke away from the audience and up into the fly gallery. This sounds like a good idea, until you realise that you then have a tall, narrowing space above the stage, with an opening on top - forming what is know as a chimney. Thus this vent will make the fire worse. Actually, I am pretty certain that the Assembly rooms will one day burn to the ground completely and utterly.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattwright15 Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 I know this is also totally off topic but, why use a axe.... whats wrong with a large rope blade. surly thats actually meant for cutting rope more then a axe....Besides the whole idea is rather absurd, I understand the point but if u have 30 hemp sets to cut threw each with 3 or 4 pick up lines I think u maybe on fire before the last line is cut.Poor fly men. :( I love to see the written procedure for doing this, maybe it could be adapted into a small comedy sketch? Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 (This same theatre has a roof vent right above the fly space, which is designed to open in teh event of a fire. The idea is taht this draws the smoke away from the audience and up into the fly gallery. This sounds like a good idea, until you realise that you then have a tall, narrowing space above the stage, with an opening on top - forming what is know as a chimney. Thus this vent will make the fire worse. Actually, I am pretty certain that the Assembly rooms will one day burn to the ground completely and utterly.)But if the audience can all get out unharmed because the auditorium is smoke-free, then surely that's no bad thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GridGirl Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 I know this is also totally off topic but, why use a axe.... whats wrong with a large rope blade. surly thats actually meant for cutting rope more then a axe.... Have you ever tried cutting hemp with an axe?! At my last job we had an axe on the flyfloor, and when we were replacing control lines we decided to try cutting one with an axe and it's pretty effective! Faster than a rope blade - one good swing and the line is severed :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoppaDom Posted June 29, 2006 Share Posted June 29, 2006 At the venue we were at in the good olde US of A recently there was an axe in the prompt corner for severing the line to the lantern to activate it in the event of a fire... Old technologies still effective in use! Poppadom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Just when I'd almost forgotten about this thread, I came accross these at a venue this morninghttp://www.eastanglianradio.com/flood-ties.jpghttp://www.eastanglianradio.com/flu-ties.jpg The image of the flu tube is taken looking up - sorry for the image quality. (and yes... the ties do go around the fitting AND tube). A 4 foot fitting, hanging from the bar on a couple of ties - over the stage area. The garden type floods are also on an overhead bar, and must get rather hot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturnx21 Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 Hi all I was replacing a 1200 watt scanner in I rather large and well known club a few weeks back and when I came to take the old scanner down I couldn't believe my eyes when I found that the steal safety cable had not been fitted but instead just a single cable tie (and this unit was directly over the main dance floor) needless to say the scanner must have weighed in at nearly 40KG the only other fixing being the M10 bolt used to actually hold the light in place. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallPaul Posted November 16, 2006 Share Posted November 16, 2006 I was involved in the renovation of a nightclub and as we were stripping out the old equipment prior to the builders arriving I discovered a reasonably weighty video projector hung above the main entrance on electrical crimps!! Unbelievable. I obviously took a photo but I'm afraid I can't find it. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.