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Prepare a special event site plan for the Fire Department

A site plan is a drawing showing the event’s layout. It includes activities and elements related to fire safety.

Prepare and submit your site plan

Site plans need to be included with your permit application.

Print the plan on at least 11x17 inch paper.

Your plan does not need to be drawn by a design or engineering professional. But it does need to be accurate and to scale for us to assess your plan.

List basic event information

  • Event name
  • Event date(s) and time(s)
  • Anticipated attendance
  • Number of confirmed attendees at the time of submittal
    • This could be tickets sold, RSVPs received, or a ticket report
    • State if tickets will be sold at the door
  • Street name
  • Street widths and addresses
  • Fire lanes
    • Include the widths
  • Locations of any existing fire infrastructure
    • Fire hydrants
    • Standpipe and sprinkler inlets
    • Fire escapes
    • Locations of water supplies in parks, and connection to supply
  • Exits
    • Include the widths of exit pathways
    • Note if exits are open and/or staffed
    • Note if exit gates are on wheels and sliders
    • You can include a separate drawing, if helpful
    • Large events will need an exit plan

Include fire safety-related detail

Include a legend so that we can understand the site plan.

Add detail for any of the below elements that you're having at your event

Furniture

  • Locations

Portable toilets

  • Locations

Barricades

  • Locations

Fencing

  • Height
  • Material
  • Supports
  • Whether a scrim will cover it
  • Example of signage on the fence

Ground/floor cover

  • Provide flame certificates
  • Manhole covers and shut-off in street

Tents, canopies, booths, platforms, or any other structures

  • Layout/location
  • Dimensions
  • Type of activity
  • Number of people in/on each item (occupant load)
  • Identify multiple assembly tents

Generators

  • Locations with 20B fire extinguisher
  • Type of fuel
  • How generator is grounded
  • Type of barricades
  • Access path to extinguishers and shut off
  • Wheel blocks
  • Signage
  • NFPA placard with numbers
  • No smoking sign

Propane

  • Number of tanks
  • Storage locations, if pre-approved and with fire watch
  • Include how tanks are changed out
  • Type of barricades
  • NFPA placards with numbers
  • No smoking sign
  • Process for distributing tanks
  • Process for refueling tanks, if pre-approved

Vehicles

  • Locations
  • Confirm compliance with rules:
  • Emergency brake applied
  • Tanks no more than ¼ full (or 5 gallons, whichever is less)
  • Battery disconnected
  • Gas cap secured
  • Wheels chocked

Food vendors

  • Locations
  • Vendors must have clear exit pathway out of cooking area and to event exits (at least 3ft)
  • Every food vendor must have 1+ 2A10BC fire extinguisher hung on cooking tent
  • The extinguishers must be near cooking appliance and separate from the tent extinguisher
  • Type K extinguisher needed if deep frying (1 for every 4 deep fryers)
  • Provide a separate drawing for each food vendor area with:
  • Vendor ID or booth number
  • Business name
  • Size of cooking area (min 10’x10’ cooking/food prep area separately)
  • Amount of propane in cooking area, with size and number of tanks
  • Number of cassette feus
  • If using sterno, include disposal location and container
  • If using charcoal or wood cooking, include location of metal container with lid for ash disposal
  • If using liquid nitrogen, include location

Food trucks or trailers

  • Locations
  • Business name
  • Current Business Registration Certificate
  • Current SFFD inspection sticker
  • Acknowledge only permitted to operate with mounted propane tank (not external), with no refueling during event
  • Procedure for refueling tanks between event days

Catering

  • Locations
  • Dates and times for cooking
  • Amount of propane used
  • Size of propane tanks
  • How tanks are secured from tipping over
  • Process of changing out propane tanks
  • Location of cooking equipment outside food prep tent
  • Location of sterno/charcoal disposal container (lidded)
  • Acknowledge no cooking in tents/canopies without UL 300-listed hood and extinguishing system

Stages

  • Locations
  • Dimensions
  • Engineering specs with wind requirements
  • Whether there is a canopy
  • 2A10BC fire extinguisher positioned on each side of stage

Bleachers

  • Proposed occupant load
  • Describe how loads and aisles are maintained
  • State if the assembled onside or full assembled and folds open

Propane heaters

  • Locations

Candles

Fire pits

  • Locations
  • Fuel type (propane or solid fuel)
  • How they will be monitored
  • 5 feet minimum distance between fire pit and propane
  • Note: fire pits must have flame guar/shield or spark arrestor
  • If marshmallow roasting, provide monitoring/safety plan

Refueling operations, if pre-approved

  • Type of fuel
  • Size of tanks
  • Location of clean up materials and equipment for fuel spills
  • NFPA placard with numbers
  • No smoking sign
  • Secondary containment
  • Emergency lighting
  • Locations

2A10BC fire extinguishers

  • Locations
  • Requirements: visible, accessible, off the ground, spaced 150 ft apart (within 75 feet of all event locations)

Smoking area

  • Ash tray information
  • Locations for discarded cigarettes

Command post locations (Emergency Medical Services, Police, security)

Rideshare/taxi pickup/dropoff location for attendees

After you submit your plan

The Fire Department reviews site plans carefully. This helps ensure events are safe.

It is common for us to request more detail or changes to your plan.