The Technical Standards and Safety Authority’s (TSSA’s) Fuels Safety Program regulates special effects in accordance with:
Special effects are temporary flame effects for entertainment such as concerts, movies, television, theater productions or sporting events. They are created by using hydrocarbon-based fuels (including propane, butane, or natural gas) and are typically used for exhibition, demonstration, or simulation purposes.
Events that use special effects are limited in time and are site-specific. Each time a setup is moved or relocated to a new venue it must undergo a new approval.
Special effects equipment includes but is not limited to:
Manually operated flame bars
Cannons
Cauldrons
Fuel accumulators (propane cannons)
Props with automatic ignition
Flame monitoring
Special effects can be deployed in the following contexts:
The use of indoor and outdoor flame effects
The design, fabrication, installation, testing, control, operation and maintenance of equipment, materials, procedures, and systems used to produce flame effects
The rehearsal, videotaping, audiotaping, or filming of any television, radio, or movie production if such production includes the use of flame effects
The rehearsal of any production incorporating flame effects
Certification requirement for special effects
All flame effect operators must have a valid Record of Training (ROT) for the use and handling of natural gas or propane construction heaters or equivalent.
To operate special effect equipment in Ontario, you must follow a two-step approval process consisting of a design or engineering review and a site inspection.
Engineering Review
Submit the following information for a design or engineering review:
A completed Application for Field Approval of Special Effects (pdf)
A description of the equipment and intended operation or sequence of operation
A floor plan showing the layout of the equipment
Engineering drawings or an operation booklet or manual
A valve-train diagram (fuels schematics), complete with the Bills of Material
Electrical schematics complete with the Bills of Material
Copy of the operator’s valid Record of Training (ROT) for the use and handling of natural gas or propane construction heaters or equivalent, plus all other associated training documentation
Site Inspection
Once the engineering review is completed, a site inspection will be arranged with the following components:
Perform a leak test of all associated equipment
Conduct an operational test of all associated equipment, observing the smooth ignition and control of flame height and proximity
Perform a trial for ignition test
Perform a flame-failure-response test
Identify and mitigate any hazards when operating equipment, such as flammable curtains, electrical wires, etc.
Conduct a test for excess heat to the audience per NFPA 160: Standard for Flame Effects Before an Audience, 2001 Edition.
Demonstrate the emergency stop and all other safety devices
Identify and mitigate general hazards such as windy conditions
Identify the location of fire extinguishers
Inspect the operator’s Record of Training and all other associated training documentation