[SML] Foam Fire Retardant

[Dougherty, Jim]

Changing from my Troll hat to my Firefighter hat, Dan Sheehan has it right
- those stores size their sprinkler heads for the fire load.  Case in
point - I heard a story of a local tractor dealership that put up a metal
utility building, installed basic sprinklers then proceeded to store fuel
and fertilizer in there.  If there was a fire the sprinklers wouldn¹t keep
up.  If extruded polystyrene catches fire it¹s no joke.  Frank¹s test,
placing the material outside with a 1k light focused on it, is misleading.
 The material is a good insulator (obviously) so yes, the heat damage was
minimal and localized.  But doing it outside, with a lot of ventilation,
also cools the material.  Try doing it inside, with the same light focused
on a newspaper or untreated drape next to the foam (footlight next to the
set, newspaper left as a prop or by a passerby - not inconceivable) .  Now
the other material is on fire and the unprotected foam can catch from
that.  Very different outcome.

I think there¹s a place for this material in what we do, but that it can
and should be treated (encapsulation, etc.) rather than left as-is, and
not thought of as an unexploded bomb in the scene shop. Kristi brought up
another point that shouldn¹t be ignored - wear the right PPE when working
with the stuff, because it can be toxic in other ways.

- Jim Dougherty
ATD, Middlebury College Theatre Dept.
(also, FF/EMT)