Well, Watershed will host this sunday for a meeting, if you like.

;-b

I'm in. I generally get there around 7. See you there.

Hi!

New to the group and to the Portland tribe of fire flingers, but old to fire safety and Portland (see my web site: www.foreworks.com).

I'm of the old-school jugglers' fire safety protocols, but greatly appreciate what you're trying to do here. I especially like Pagoda's ideas, tested and refined as they are from the largest best organized jams in the US. Here's some of my own:

You can't coerce or force agreement unless you are Godzilla (and even he loses for the first 80 minutes of the show), but you can set things up so that co-operation happens. To this end you might have:

1. a large pile of complete sets of regs (as posted earlier here), along with a summary of safety basics, all of which I'll be glad to print up in any quantity needed -- if you give me some lead time. (FWIW I'm an IWW printer, though I mostly do my own stuff,)

2. An offer (preferably free) of training in fire basics, including safety and safety procedures. If someone is now offering this I'd be glad to print up as many ad copies as needed. If someone is not doing this then someone _really_ needs to. Sundays at Laurelhurst by the lake used to be the favored site. Now . . . ?

3. A means of distinguishing Rangers/Monitors/SafetySavants/ . . . whatever, from the crowd. When I ran and trained the monitors for 2002-4 anti-war marches we used felt armbands with adjustable velcro closures. The Portland Jugglers used to use red berets. You really do need something, at least at first. I've still got a bunch of armbands, if y'all think they'd be useful.

4. A few basic concepts for everyone on dealing with problems (which Pagoda has largely covered): re-direct challenge and agression rather than confronting it. You aren't their parents, you're simply acting in _everyone's_ best interest. (I found that the very best march monitors were empty-nest middle-aged moms who had no ego-involvement in telling the children to pick up their toys.) Your objective is for the burn to continue safely. If an individual insists on being unsafe for himself alone, through incompetence or stupidity, clear the area, warn the other performers, and let him rip. Be the impervious, unflappable, and always cheerful teflon shield that the idiots slide off of.

5. If one of the critters insists on endangering others, physically interrupt him by stepping into his space so he can't spin without hitting you (expect to be hit or even lit and burned, but you know how to deal with that better than he does) and back him down without touching him if at all possible.

6. If you are physically threatened, call the Cops - coercion and violence are their business, not yours. The cops are a necessary evil to allow us to deal with evil without becoming evil ourselves. It is very literally a tough job, but somebody really does need to do it. (One designated person should have the local precinct's desk's number on one-touch dial. Also the local FD. And ONLY the designated person should call those numbers for help.)

7. The safety zone between performance space and audience is essential, as well as a clearly designated fuel dump and a separate spin-off area. Chalk or string-lights and a number of signs taped to the ground should be sufficient. (I can print those, too.)

8. Give everyone a free choice of participating safely or finding another space. Point out the printed safety regs and the free safety training sessions. Don't insist that they declare a choice and don't confront -- you're merely stating choices. Leave the nature of enforcement and consequences to their immagination. People will test the limits, so don't be rigid and be prepared to enjoy idiocy so long as it doesn't endanger the children or frighten the horses.

That's all that comes to mind just now. Sorry to unload so much at once.

Please get in touch by e-mail for anything you need printed, but give me at least a day or two lead time.

=Eric

Let's start a decompress thread in the same tribe to specifically decompress this - I have a lot of little specifics to add.

I missed you Randy! maybe next time I'll try to stay later... but Monday morning work comes early. I do have to hand it to Alan and Steve for staying for soooo long! I'll shower you with more cookies next time and figure out a way we can have coffee on hand.

Let's keep in mind that, while we know that, the rest of the crowd is oblivious/unaware of the presence of the officer earlier, so we don't necessarily get any social capital benefit to having averted disaster...