Theatrical fog and haze, frequently employed for atmospheric effects in entertainment venues, special events, and even some photography settings, can sometimes activate smoke detection systems. These systems are designed to identify airborne particulates indicative of combustion. While stage fog consists of water-based or glycol-based solutions, the density of these particles can, under certain conditions, resemble smoke sufficiently to trigger an alarm.
Understanding the potential interaction between these effects and safety systems is critical for preventing false alarms, ensuring appropriate venue management, and maintaining public safety. Unnecessary triggering of fire alarms can disrupt performances, cause confusion and potential panic, and lead to resource depletion from emergency services responding to a non-fire event. Historically, as fog effects became more prevalent in entertainment, the challenge of avoiding unwanted alarm activation became increasingly important, driving the development of fog fluids less likely to cause this issue.
