Indoor Fire Safety: Lessons from NFPA 1126 and Real-World Tragedies

Recent emergencies continue to highlight the importance of managing fire risks during indoor events, especially when pyrotechnics are involved. On March 16, 2025, a nightclub caught fire during a concert, leaving at least 59 dead and over 150 injured.

According to early reports, the venue lacked emergency exits and proper permits. While the investigation is ongoing, the suspected cause is a pyrotechnic effect gone wrong. Unfortunately, this is something we've seen in several other high-profile tragedies around the world.

To help contextualize what went wrong and how it could have been prevented, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) published a timely blog reviewing the incident and outlining guidance from NFPA 1126, the standard for pyrotechnics used before a proximate audience.

Below, we'll walk through key insights from that blog and unpack what they mean for real-world safety. By the end, you'll better understand how you can make sure your facilities are equipped to manage different fire risks.

Permits and Exits Create the Foundation for Prevention

Before pyrotechnic effects are ever deployed, the facility itself must meet essential safety requirements.

"According to the New York Times, the venue lacked the proper permits and adequate emergency exits."

Permits are often the first checkpoint for ensuring that fire detection systems, sprinkler coverage, and egress plans have been reviewed and approved. When a venue operates without one, there's often no guarantee that fire protection infrastructure has been evaluated - or even installed.

More importantly, emergency exits must be clearly marked and unobstructed. Without those basic provisions, alarms - no matter how effective - won't help people escape in time.

Safety Protocols Help Prevent Emergencies

Even with physical protection in place, consistent procedures are necessary to manage the particular risks associated with events like live shows.

"Although pyrotechnics can add an unforgettable and crowd-pleasing element to any concert, it's important that the proper safety protocols are followed."

Safety plans must go beyond the pyrotechnics crew. Production staff, ushers, technicians, and fire watch personnel should be briefed on what to expect and what to do in the event of an incident.

Whether a live concert with thousands of attendants or a normal day at a commercial building with hundreds of occupants, staff must be prepared to respond in the event of an emergency.

Properly educating staff on emergency action plans can improve response times and save valuable lives and property.

In addition to having a prepared team, you also need active detection systems. Your fire detection and monitoring equipment needs to be active and continuously supervised for them to be effective...

NFPA 1126 Sets the Standard for Pyrotechnic Safety

NFPA 1126 is the standard reference for venues that incorporate special effects during events. This standard outlines a long list of requirements.

The code details everything from operator training and device clearance to evacuation planning and suppression coverage. Like other fire codes, it reflects decades of lessons learned from tragedies that have occurred when these details were missed.

But following NFPA 1126 isn't just about having the right documents on file. It's about integrating every layer of safety - from equipment to staff - to form a cohesive response plan. Without good systems that connect alarm inputs, suppression systems, and response teams, your compliant venue may still struggle to react quickly.

Lessons Learned from History: Fires That Shouldn't Have Happened

The recent fire in North Macedonia is not an isolated event. It's part of a longer pattern that safety professionals continue to study.

The 2004 fire in Argentina, the 2013 Kiss nightclub fire in Brazil, and the 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island all involved indoor flame effects igniting acoustic materials or ceiling décor. In each case, audiences had little warning, exits were crowded or obstructed, and alarm systems either failed or were too localized to prompt immediate evacuation.

These examples show that you need more than just detection. You need detection plus notification, escalation, and clarity. A localized strobe or horn isn't enough if the alarm isn't relayed to staff, first responders, or dispatch in real time.

Identify Hazards Before They Become Incidents

Prevention begins with routine safety inspections and hazard assessments. NFPA's article tells you that you should:

"Ensure safety procedures are in place to prevent fire hazards and injuries."

This includes ensuring combustible materials are kept away from effects, verifying that fire panels are active and free of trouble conditions, and confirming that everyone on-site knows how to react to a system alert. Even the well-planned events can fail if someone neglects a blinking supervisory signal or dismisses a single zone trouble.

Facilities should use monitoring systems that can log events, track alarm history, and display clear alert codes by zone, so that responding personnel aren't making guesses when under pressure.

When Sprinkler Systems Are Required, Monitoring Them Is Too

NFPA 1126 is very clear on this next point:

"Pyrotechnics should not be used indoors unless the facility is equipped with an automatic sprinkler system that is compliant with NFPA 13."

Having a sprinkler system in place is only part of the equation. That system also needs to be monitored for flow, valve status, and supervisory signals. If a valve is closed or pressure drops during setup, there's a good chance no one will notice unless a reliable monitoring system flags the issue.

Digitize systems such as the System 3505 Prism LX can monitor sprinkler valve tamper switches, water flow switches, and system pressure sensors. This head-end makes sure that any suppression component failure is communicated immediately to the head-end display and, if needed, external contacts like dispatch or facility management.

Coordination Ensures Everyone Is On the Same Page

Every successful fire safety plan is built on communication between key stakeholders.

"All planning and use of pyrotechnics shall be coordinated with the venue manager and producer."

This includes technical coordination between the production team and the fire protection team. When an effect is triggered, is there a known suppression override? Has the fire system been returned to normal after any test mode? Are panel indicators clearly visible during the performance?

These aren't only concerns for the staff at concerts and other live events. Any commercial building with occupants is in need of an educated response team as well as reliable action plans.

The Prism LX head-end platform enables centralized event logging, so you can document exactly when test modes were initiated, when zones were bypassed (if permitted), and when systems were returned to service. This is especially useful for post-event documentation and incident review.

Distance Matters - But So Does Alarm Zoning

NFPA 1126 specifies minimum distances for all pyrotechnic effects during a performance.

"Each pyrotechnic device fired during a performance shall be separated from the audience by a minimum of 15 ft or twice the fallout radius..."

This physical separation helps reduce direct injuries, but safety systems need to provide the same clarity when things go wrong. For example, if a spark ignites a curtain behind the stage, the system must be able to identify the exact zone and alert the correct response team.

With zoning flexibility available in modular architecture, you can configure separate alarm responses for different areas. These can be different rooms in a building or - in this case - stage left, stage right, balcony rigging, and even specific effect positions.

Identifying and monitoring different zones helps responders pinpoint the issue right away - instead of triggering an all-facility panic unnecessarily.

Evacuation Plans Need Alarm System Integration

Quickly pinpointing the location of an emergency is important, but so is a quick exit for occupants. Swift, orderly evacuation depends on more than alarms. It relies on signals being tied to emergency outputs.

"Evacuation plans and emergency shutdown procedures are required."

If fire is detected, your alarm system should not only sound alerts but also trigger preprogrammed outputs - from PA announcements to emergency lighting cues or HVAC shutdowns. This level of integration is where systems like the Prism LX really prove their value.

The Prism supports output relay modules that can activate equipment in response to alarm conditions. Plus, it can be programmed to prioritize certain signals (like fire) over lower-level supervisory events. That ensures that the most urgent messages are acted on first - automatically.

Suppression Must Stay Active at All Times

Sometimes, suppression systems are disabled during rehearsal to prevent false activations. This practice is risky and should not be used as a good example. NFPA specifically mentions in their article that:

"Fire suppression systems...should not be disabled during pyrotechnic displays."

Even if suppression is momentarily bypassed, that action needs to be documented and reversed well before the audience arrives.

Monitoring systems, including those from Digitize, make this easier by logging every supervisory signal and restoration. If a valve remains closed, or a pressure issue hasn't been resolved, the system can be configured to generate visual and audible alerts until the condition is cleared.

This built-in accountability helps you avoid reliance on memory or manual checklists - and gives AHJs more confidence that fire systems will be ready when they matter most.

Build a Monitoring Strategy That Complies with NFPA

Fire safety isn't just about device setup or operator training. It's about making sure the entire building's fire system is ready to respond.

Whether your venue uses pyrotechnics or not, you need to have the right monitoring systems in place. With our broad fire-alarm-industry experience, Digitize engineers can help you align your current fire systems with NFPA codes and AHJ requirements while improving reliability, detection, and response speed.

• Call 1-800-523-7232
• Email info@digitize-inc.com

We'll help you evaluate your existing infrastructure, identify potential gaps, and implement a monitoring solution that meets both your operational needs and regulatory obligations.