Start from each flame effect and its fuel, then trace the supply, piping, controls, and emergency shutoff through the effect designer’s drawings and the building’s mechanical, electrical, and fire protection sheets, and check that the audience and exits around it match the venue plans. AI can flag conflicts; the operator, the designer, and the authority having jurisdiction decide whether the effect is permitted.
What does NFPA 160 cover?
NFPA 160 is the Standard for the Use of Flame Effects Before an Audience. NFPA’s page states that it provides requirements for the protection of the audience, support personnel, performers, the operator, assistants, and property where flame effects are used.
NFPA’s official NFPA 160 page identifies the 2026 edition as current when checked on October 9, 2026. Confirm the edition, local amendments, and project scope that actually govern the work. The publisher’s newest edition does not establish local adoption.
Gas piping in the building usually follows the NFPA 54 guide or, for LP-gas, the NFPA 58 guide. Pyrotechnic effects are a separate subject in the NFPA 1126 guide. Record which documents the authority requires for the permit.
Gather the effect system and the room it sits in
Collect the flame effect drawings and control narrative, the fuel supply and piping drawings, the emergency shutoff and control locations, the venue floor plans with audience areas and exits, the mechanical ventilation drawings for the effect area, the electrical drawings for controls, the fire protection and fire alarm drawings, and the specifications.
Effect designers often draw their system on its own sheets. Upload them with the building set so the fuel supply and shutoffs can be followed from the effect to the building’s gas service.
Follow the fuel from the service to the flame
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Effects and locations | Effect drawings, floor plans, stage plans | Confirm each effect appears at the same location on the effect and venue drawings. |
| Fuel supply and piping | Fuel piping drawings, plumbing plans, effect drawings | Trace the supply from the building service or cylinders to each effect and find routes that differ. |
| Shutoffs and controls | Control narrative, effect drawings, electrical plans | Check that emergency shutoff and control positions agree across the narrative and drawings. |
| Audience and exits | Floor plans, life safety plan, effect drawings | Match the audience areas and exits around each effect between the venue and effect drawings. |
| Ventilation | Mechanical drawings, effect drawings, specifications | Ask the designer to confirm the ventilation for indoor effects is drawn and scheduled. |
| Fire protection | Fire protection plans, fire alarm drawings, effect drawings | Find sprinklers or detectors near effects whose treatment differs between sources. |
Effects in production studios belong with the NFPA 140 guide, and temporary venues with the NFPA 102 guide. Flame effects appear in restaurant and sports and recreation projects; the mechanical drawing checklist covers the ventilation side.
Example: a shutoff on one set and not the other
Hypothetical example. A theme park show building adds a flame effect to a scene. The effect designer’s drawings show a manual emergency shutoff at the operator position, while the building’s plumbing drawings route the gas supply to the effect without that valve and the control narrative places the operator in a different room.
The effect drawings show a manual shutoff at the operator position, but the plumbing drawings route gas to the effect without it and the control narrative puts the operator in another room. Please confirm the operator location and coordinate the shutoff, piping, and controls.
The effect designer and the plumbing engineer agree the arrangement and update both sets. Whether the effect is permitted is decided by the authority having jurisdiction.
Review a flame effect system with Groundbook
Upload the current project PDFs and relevant specifications to Groundbook. Identify the governing issues and add the applicable NFPA 160 reference from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it. State the edition, amendments, review area, and known exclusions in your instructions.
Compare the flame effect drawings and control narrative with the fuel piping drawings, venue floor plans and life safety plan, mechanical ventilation drawings, electrical drawings, fire protection and fire alarm drawings, and specifications. Flag effect locations, fuel routes, shutoffs, controls, audience areas, exits, ventilation, and fire protection that differ between sources. Use the supplied NFPA 160 edition where applicable and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets involved and the reference you uploaded.
Document review does not size the fuel system, set distances, or approve an effect. Those decisions remain with the operator, the designer, and the authority having jurisdiction.