Behind every effective fire safety plan is a fire risk assessment — a systematic analysis of the fire hazards present at a specific event, the probability and potential severity of fires involving those hazards, and the controls that prevent or mitigate them. Without a fire risk assessment, fire safety decisions are reactive and incomplete: responding to whatever code requirement is most obvious, rather than addressing the full picture of what could go wrong and why.

A fire risk assessment is not primarily a document. It is a thinking process. The document is the record of that process, and the test of the assessment’s quality is whether it actually identifies and controls the fire risks present at the event — not whether it fills the required number of pages.

The Fire Risk Assessment Framework

NFPA 1600, Standard on Continuity, Emergency, and Crisis Management, requires risk assessments as a foundational element of emergency management programs and identifies fire as a hazard category that must be addressed (National Fire Protection Association [NFPA], 2022d). ISO 45001:2018, the international standard for occupational health and safety management, frames hazard identification and risk assessment as the core process for identifying and controlling workplace hazards — a framework equally applicable to the event environment (International Organization for Standardization [ISO], 2018).

A practical fire risk assessment for a live event addresses six interconnected elements:

1. Fuels and combustible materials
2. Ignition sources
3. Detection and alarm
4. Escape and evacuation
5. Fire-fighting measures
6. Training and staff briefing

Fuels and Combustible Materials

The first question in a fire risk assessment is: what is present that can burn? This includes obvious flammable substances — generator fuel, propane, cleaning solvents — and the less obvious combustibles that accumulate at every event: cardboard packing materials, plastic packaging, decorative fabric, paper trash, untreated wood, and the fabric coverings of temporary structures (FEMA, 2010).

ISO 45001 emphasizes that hazard identification must be specific to the actual work environment — not a generic checklist (ISO, 2018). A fuel assessment that identifies “combustible materials” without specifying where they are, how much of them there is, and what controls are in place to manage them is not useful. The assessment should identify:

• The specific types of combustible material in each area of the event site
• Whether those materials meet applicable flame resistance requirements (NFPA 701 for textiles, UL 1975 for foam plastics, FRT designations for wood)
• How combustible materials are stored — separated from ignition sources, in approved containers, with appropriate clearances
• Arrangements for regular removal of combustible waste, particularly at food vendor areas where paper and organic waste accumulate rapidly
• Whether the fuel load in any specific area is concentrated in a way that creates a particularly elevated risk — combustible materials beneath bleachers, adjacent to generators, or in enclosed backstage areas

Ignition Sources

The second element asks: how might a fire start? Potential ignition sources at live events include (FEMA, 2010; International Code Council [ICC], 2021a):

• Smoking in prohibited areas
• Cooking appliances and open flames at food concession areas
• Electrical faults — overloaded circuits, damaged cables, poorly maintained connections, or equipment installed inappropriately for the environment
• Generator exhaust and hot engine surfaces
• Pyrotechnic and flame effects — a significant risk when used in proximity to combustible materials
• Hot work (welding, cutting, grinding) during load-in and load-out
• Lighting equipment — incandescent fixtures and high-output discharge fixtures generate significant heat and can ignite materials that come into contact with or are positioned too close to them
• Vehicle exhaust, particularly generators and vehicles operated in enclosed areas
• Naturally occurring ignition — lightning strikes, seasonal drought conditions
• Intentionally set fires — particularly relevant for high-profile events or those with elevated security threat levels

Each identified ignition source requires a specific control measure. The control hierarchy, following the ANSI/ASSP Z590.3 Prevention Through Design framework, prioritizes eliminating the ignition source (removing it from the event), then substituting a less hazardous alternative (diesel instead of gasoline), then engineering controls (physical separation, approved enclosures), then administrative controls (no-smoking policies, hot work permits, fire watches) (American Society of Safety Professionals, 2016).

Detection and Alarm

The third element addresses how a fire will be detected and how the alarm will be raised. This is particularly challenging at temporary outdoor events where fixed detection infrastructure does not exist. The assessment should specify:

• What automatic detection system, if any, covers each area of the event site
• The location and coverage of manual alarm stations
• The communication chain — who activates the alarm, how, and who receives the notification
• How the fire department is summoned — automatic monitoring, radio, or cell phone — and what address and access point information dispatchers will need
• Any areas with elevated detection requirements: sleeping accommodations, back-of-house areas with high fuel loads, generator enclosures

FEMA (2010) notes that in temporary event venues, the organizer must replace or supplement the automatic detection and alarm functions that would be provided by a permanently installed system. This is not optional — it is a core responsibility of event fire safety planning.

Escape and Evacuation

The means of egress assessment must address not only whether exits exist and comply with code, but whether they can actually be used effectively by the specific audience at the specific event. NFPA 101 requires that means of egress be adequate for the occupant load at all times the space is occupied (NFPA, 2021).

The assessment should confirm:

• That the number and width of exits is adequate for the planned maximum occupant load, accounting for the event-specific layout (stage placement, production infrastructure, temporary structures)
• That exit access paths are clear and will remain clear throughout the event — addressing not just the pre-event configuration but the likely configuration at the most crowded period of the event
• That exits are signed, illuminated, and unlocked
• That staff are positioned to direct evacuation, and that those staff have been briefed on their specific roles
• That provisions exist for the evacuation of people with disabilities
• That assembly areas outside the venue are designated, communicated to the audience, and accessible from the exit discharge areas

Fire-Fighting Measures

The assessment should specify what portable extinguishers and fixed fire suppression systems are required, their locations, their classes, and their maintenance status. It should also address whether any members of the event staff are designated and trained to respond to a fire with an extinguisher — and what those staff should do if the fire is beyond extinguisher capability (evacuate, direct others to evacuate, call the fire department).

The assessment should not assume that staff who have not been trained will respond correctly. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157 requires annual training for any employee expected to use a fire extinguisher (Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], 2016). Training that was provided six months ago for a different event is not necessarily sufficient preparation for the specific hazards and equipment at the current event (OSHA, 2016; NFPA, 2022a).

Training and Briefing

The final element addresses who needs to know what. Not every member of the event workforce needs to know every detail of the fire risk assessment. But every member of the workforce who might encounter a fire or be expected to take any role in the fire response needs to know:

• The location of the nearest fire extinguisher to their work position
• The location of the nearest fire alarm station or how to raise the alarm using the event’s communication system
• Their specific role in an evacuation — whether that is directing audience members, operating an exit, checking backstage areas, or moving to a designated position
• The assembly area and the procedure for accounting for personnel after evacuation

Short pre-event site briefings — even five minutes spent walking through fire exits, extinguisher locations, and emergency procedures — can significantly improve the speed and effectiveness of staff response to a fire incident. NFPA 101 requires that staff responsible for evacuation assistance be trained in evacuation procedures (NFPA, 2021). This training cannot happen during the incident.

Documenting the Assessment

NFPA 1600 requires that risk assessments be documented, maintained, and made available to relevant stakeholders (NFPA, 2022d). Documentation does not need to follow a prescribed format, but at minimum should identify each identified hazard, the assessed risk level, the control measures in place, the person responsible for verifying those controls, and the date of assessment.

For larger events with multiple stages, production areas, camping, and catering zones, a single consolidated assessment may miss hazards in specific locations. Separate assessments for each major zone — stage area, camping, food concessions, parking and generator compound — ensure that each area’s specific fuel and ignition profile is addressed (FEMA, 2010).

References

American Society of Safety Professionals. (2016). ANSI/ASSP Z590.3-2011 (R2016): Prevention through design — Guidelines for addressing occupational hazards and risks in design and redesign processes. ASSP.

Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2010). Special events contingency planning job aids manual. U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

International Code Council. (2021a). International fire code. ICC.

International Organization for Standardization. (2018). ISO 45001:2018 — Occupational health and safety management systems: Requirements with guidance for use. ISO.

National Fire Protection Association. (2021). NFPA 101: Life safety code. NFPA.

National Fire Protection Association. (2022a). NFPA 10: Standard for portable fire extinguishers. NFPA.

National Fire Protection Association. (2022d). NFPA 1600: Standard on continuity, emergency, and crisis management. NFPA.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2016). 29 CFR 1910.157: Portable fire extinguishers. U.S. Department of Labor.