Fire Marshals and Stewards - Do Your Numbers Stack Up?

Sometimes, staying up late midweek can ensure you catch tv programmes you'd never watch otherwise. FPO's tv epiphany this week were the adventures of budding entrepreneurs Celia Norowzian and Ian Forshew, organising their summer student festival, Beach Break Live.

The pair had already put on one festival for around 1000 students in a field in Cornwall. They had also lost £40,000, and were determined that year two of the festival was going to be bigger and better.

However, this fascinating programme was an object lesson in how, when setting up a live event for the public, sheer hard work and determination were simply not enough. Even with an experienced promoter as heir business partner and co-investor, it wasn't a smooth ride. Every day, the phone seemed to ring with a new problem, from lack of crew catering to slow ticket sales. Most problems could be overcome with an injection of last-minute cash or sheer energy, but one issue almost cost them their dream - lack of stewards.

Three weeks before the festival, the company providing stewards pulled out, leaving the duo to find 250 volunteer stewards, and fast. They managed it by the skin of their teeth, but it proves how a seemingly dull-but-essential fire safety detail can almost scupper an event.

Rock Festivals And Family Fun Days

While you may not be planning a major rock festival this year, your company might be planning a family fun day for your employees, or a bonfire display in November. Central to the safety of your visitors are stewards and fire marshals, responsible for crowd safety and crucial in the event of an emergency. All organisers of public events need to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which ensures they are responsible for the safety of employees and public at any event. You may have secured all the insurances, permissions and licences you require from your local authority, but without the right number of stewards, you won't be able to even open your gates.

You require one trained steward for every 250 people present, although the exact number should be agreed in consultation with the council. Usually, you'll actually need more, to ensure people enter and leave the site safely, and to generally keep an eye on activities. All stewards must be aged 18 or over, and should be trained in the use of fire fighting equipment such as fire extinguishers, just in case. Providing all your stewards and fire marshals with high visibility vests or armbands ensures the public can easily spot them if required, and for big events, two-way radios ensure everyone is in touch, all of the time.

In addition, you should appoint a designated safety officer for the event, who must agree a pre-arranged fire or evacuation signal audible to all stewards, in case of an emergency. usually, this can be relayed over your event PA system, but consider a back-up if the power should fail, such as portable air horns, or a battery powered megaphone.

Don't Forget The Darkness - No, Not The Band!

If your event will end at night, you should provide your stewards with high power LED torches (with fresh batteries!) so they can guide the public to safety if required. Glowsticks (but not the novelty versions) can also provide emergency light, and can be very useful for temporarily marking any hazards or barriers in an emergency.

Finally, ensure that all emergency exits are fully marked, and you have adequate signage. The Beach Break Live organisers didn't have enough for the liking of the council inspector, and so they had to rapidly build and paint several large signs to comply. A long queue of impatient students were not allowed onto the festival site that first morning until the paint on these crucial signs had dried....

Fire Protection Online offer a wide range of equipment including the mega-popular fire warden kits and stewards at discount prices, so you can provide effective safety cover at your next event without going over budget.