Alcohol burns at 700 degrees fahrenheit. Keep that in mind before you literally "start playing with fire". Improper or careless play can result in nasty burns to both you and your subbie, as well as damage to your surroundings. First off, get yourself a fire extinguisher and a thick blanket (to smother the fire)! If you're not sure of basic fire safety techniques, then call your local fire department. They would rather educate you than be called to your home.

  The idea behind FirePlay (Fire Play) is to rub a "small" amount of alcohol on the skin, ignite it, and to snuff it our almost immediately with your hand. This can be accomplished by rubbing the palm of your hand across the ignited area. Be sure you have no alcohol on your hands at any time during fireplay. Alcohol should only be on the batons, and on your subbie. Also, NEVER allow alcohol to pool, or it'll be flung by you as you snuff the flames. This may possibly start small fires, or worse yet, ignite the alcohol you are using.   

  Quite a few people forget about the basics of fire safety when they do fireplay, generally because they feel in control. But fire is NOT to be played with unless extreme care is taken. There have been a few incidents where a subbie has been burned, or lost hair because of an unsafe or careless scene. Hair not only smells bad when it burns, it burns VERY FAST, so care is needed with the hair. Pull it up and out of the way, or cover it with a bathing cap or damp towel. Fireplay should NEVER go above the shoulders. The neck can act as a wick for the hair, and it also has many blood vessels close to the surface of the skin.

  You should always check with your subbie as to what allergies he/she has. An allergic reaction to alcohol in not unheard of, and can leave a subbie with a pretty nasty rash. You also want use a smaller area to test the skin's sensitivity prior to igniting any larger areas.

  As we said above, remember to have the basic firefighting equipment on hand. A fire extinguisher or, at the very least, a good couple of buckets of water or sand. If the fire should happen to be on your subbie, try to stick to water. Should the burn should require treatment, there's nothing quite as  painful as picking granules of sand out of a burned area.

  You should check that there are no flammable objects near the area where you are playing. DO NOT do FirePlay with your subbie tied to a bed. Bedding can erupt in seconds and can be very difficult, if not impossible to extinguish. Netting and sheer curtains are also hazards that should be watched out for. In this kind of scene it burns fast, sticks to other objects (including skin), and is a beast in and of itself.

  Fireplay and bondage DO NOT make a good combination. So, if you plan on tying your subbie down, then have sharp but  blunt-ended scissors or a sharp knife handy, in case you have to cut your subbie free quickly.  We recommend against using handcuffs or padlocks for the simply reason it's takes time to get the keys and unlock the locks. That little bit of time could be the difference between a scare and a burn.

PLAY HOT, BUT PLAY SAFE!

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