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Fire Safety
How to look after your fire poi
Poi Passion strongly recommends that you take good care of your fire poi as accidents can happen and fire poi is very dangerous if not played with in a careful way. It is important to learn about your fire poi safety so you can prevent accident from happening. Here are some safety tips:
Poi spinning safety checks
- Check the Kevlar is not fraying or has disconnected from the poi. If poi has frayed there is a chance the poi will spit fire or even break!
- While spinning, check the screws on side of the poi are not poking out. This could scratch your face or eyes.
- Check the chain is strong or has not broken again. If this is broken, the poi can swing off. This would be very dangerous if you have people watching you.
- Check the handles are not broken or frayed; the handle can sometimes get burnt when spinning poi or can get paraffin on it. This is a danger! Give them a good tug before using to make sure they are still strong.
- Check the links are still done up sometimes they can come undone. This can make the poi disconnect from the other attachments and can cause many problems.
What should I use to soak the poi?
Poi Passion recommends you use paraffin or lighter fluid. We strongly suggest that people do not to use diesel or petrol as this is very dangerous and also bad for the ozone layer.
After doing safety checks dip the poi in the metal bucket with paraffin in it let it soak for a couple of minutes. Spin the poi to get rid of excess paraffin - make sure you are not near to any one as this will splash. If you do not get rid of excess paraffin you may find the poi spitting fire.
Check the area where you are spinning for dangerous things i.e. trees, wood, paper and people - anything that is a potential fire hazard. Make sure there are no fire regulations where you are spinning. Be thoughtful in where you are lighting your poi - try to avoid accidents.
Light poi with a lighter, let the poi burn for at least 1 minute before spinning. So you get the best out of the poi - light the poi from the bottom of the poi.
After I have spun what do I do?
Have a damp/wet towel for after the flames have died out to cool poi down.
Never put the poi in the paraffin when still on fire or straight after they have gone out as the bucket of paraffin may ignite!
Always have a fire blanket at hand or small fire extinguisher, water and a first aid kit just in case. You never know and it is better to be safe than sorry. Personel of Poi Passion have basic first aid skills.
What should I wear?
Make sure you are in the right kind of clothing i.e. jeans or leather and something sensible on the top, as your cloths are the first thing that may go up in flames. Also wear a hat as its not unusual for human hair to catch on fire!
Fire insurance
We highly recommend if you are a doing poi show or performance, that you get yourself insured with public liability and fire insurance. It is essential when doing shows should you are to have an accident, you will be covered for any damage done. All our performers carry Public Liability Insurance covering up to £5m damages.
Risk assessments
Poi Passion will carry out a risk assessment prior to the performance (a requirement of our insurance). We will also do a second risk assessment on the day of the show.
What happens if I get burnt?
Getting burnt by the fire poi is not unusual as you are literally playing with fire! If you do get burnt - place the injured part under cold water for 10 minutes. If it is a really bard burn go to A&E immediately. NEVER put any creams or lotions on the burn. A damp/wet cloth is best.
Children and fire poi
Poi Passion does not recommend fire spinning to people under 18 years old. There is also limit an age on buying fire poi. If you are spinning and under 18, always have an adult with you and fire safety equipment.
Alcohol and drugs when poi spinning
Poi Passion highly recommends that poiers do not get drunk or take drugs while fire spinning, as your awareness is not sharp. We strongly recommend that you poi dance naturally, as you will feel the freedom when spinning with your fire poi.
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