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LONG BEACH CONVENTION CENTER
PLANS REQUIREMENTS
Fire Prevention Requirement

FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU
3205 LAKEWOOD BLVD.
LONG BEACH, CA 90808-1733    TEL:(562) 570-2560

   

1. All shows and events in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center (LBC&EC), except those which occur in areas having fixed seating or which will have less than 50 persons, shall submit an event plan to the Fire Prevention Bureau at least 10 working days prior to event set-up.    
2. All plans should be submitted to the Fire Prevention Bureau and approved by the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center’s Operations Department prior to the commitment of booth or “lobby” space. The Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) and the LBC&EC reserve the right to move or eliminate booths at their discretion.   
3. Plans must be drawn to scale and be an actual representation of the event. General plans showing maximum Convention Center layouts are not acceptable.  
4. Plans must show all booths, aisles, exits, display areas, islands, registration desks, or any other item which is set up on the floor area. Locations of all motor vehicles, cooking, food carts, operating machinery, hazardous operations, draping and fencing must be shown.
5. All seating areas and dining areas must have details showing the chair and table set-up with aisles.         
6. Large island booths must show required aisles which pass through the island.
7. Aisles passing support columns in the Exhibition Hall must have 36 inches minimum clearance unless the booth is flush with the column.
8. The Bureau of Fire Prevention must be notified of any change in the plans prior to the show opening and in time to properly evaluate the effect of the change on event safety.
9. A stamped and signed approved plan must be posted in a location at the event readily accessible to the Fire Inspector. Any change in the plan must be marked in red on the posted plan and initialized by a member of the Fire Prevention Bureau.
 

Floor Plans
The following are the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center and the Long Beach Fire Department’s minimum fire prevention and public safety requirements for ALL EVENTS in the Center, including the Exhibit Halls, the Arena, Terrace and Center Theater, Ballroom and Meeting Rooms.

Five (5) sets of accurate-to-scale floor plans of the proposed event must be submitted to the Long Beach Fire Department a minimum of sixty (60) days prior to the opening of the event. (Note: The Fire Department charges a small fee for floor plans).

*We recommend that you submit your floor plan to the Event Services Department and the Long Beach Fire Department for approval prior to selling your booth space.

All plans will be inspected by the Center’s Event Services Department, Concessionaire and the Long Beach Fire Department. The plans will then be authorized and stamped approved. Three sets will be returned to you with the Center receiving two sets and the Fire Department retaining one set.

Any changes will be made to the approved floor plans at an event coordination meeting two weeks prior to an event. This meeting will include all concerned parties of the Center and members of the Licensee's Staff. All changes made at the event coordination meeting must be approved by the L.B. Fire Department. Any changes made after the meeting (within the two-week period) must also be approved by the Fire Department, and at this time a service charge will be assessed for their services. No changes to the already approved floor plans will be accepted after this period without proper approval from the Center and the Fire Department.

Exits and Aisles In Display Areas
1. Aisles, when required, shall be a minimum of eight (8) feet in clearwidth.            
2. A minimum of ten (10) feet in clearwidth shall be provided on     both sides.
3. Clear access of three (3) feet shall be provided to all fire protection appliances, alarm boxes, and sprinkler valves.
4. No variance shall be permitted from these requirements unless submitted in writing and approved in writing by  the Center and the Long Beach Fire Department.   
5. All chairs must be included in booth size. Decorator / Licensee must allow for loose chairs, a minimum of two (2) to three (3) feet in width.
 

Obstructions
Aisles and exits as designed on approved show plans shall be kept clean, clear and free of obstructions. Booth construction shall be substantial and fixed in position in specified areas for the duration of the show. Easels, signs, etc., shall not be placed in the booth area into the aisles. Directional exit signs may be required when exits or exit signs are not readily visible. Electrical wiring, ropes and mechanical rods laid on the floor in aisles and exit ways shall be covered and taped down.

Fire fighting equipment, such as fire extinguishers and / or wet hose lines, shall be provided and properly maintained in accessible, easily seen locations and may be required to be posted with designation signs.

Combustibles
1. Literature on display shall be limited to reasonable quantities. Reserve supplies shall be kept in closed containers and stored in a neat and compact manner.   
2. No flammable liquids are allowed in the building.   
3. When displaying a flammable or combustible product, the display container shall be empty.        
4. Painting or spraying of toxic or flammable materials is prohibited.
5. Smoking is prohibited throughout the L.B. Convention Center complex. L.B.M.C. 868.010.
 

Fire Department - Special Permits
Request for permission to permit the following shall be made five (5) days in advance of the show:
1. Display and operate any heater, barbeque, heat-producing device or open flame, candles, lamps, lanterns or torches.        
2. Display or operate any electrical, mechanical or chemical device which may be deemed hazardous by the Fire Department.
3. The use of Liquified Petroleum Gases is prohibited throughout the L.B. Convention Center complex. L.B.M.C. 18.48.440.
4. Use or store flammable liquids, compressed gases or dangerous chemicals.
5. Display an operating internal combustion engine.
 

Flame-Retardant Treatment
All decorations, drapes, signs, banners, sails, acoustical materials, hay, straw, moss, split bamboo, plastic cloth and similar decorative materials shall be flame-retarded to the satisfaction of the Fire Department by either a State Fire Marshal’s certification of flame-retardency or the ability to pass a field flame test, however, that nothing in this section shall be held to prohibit the display of saleable goods permitted and offered for sale.

Carpeting On Walls Or Ceilings
When used as interior wall or ceiling finish, carpeting and similar materials having a snapped, tufted, looped or similar surface shall have a Class 1 flame-spread classification.

Special Finish Materials
Any material having a brushed or nappe finish, such as but not necessarily limited to, carpeting materials, shall have a flame spread rating of not more than 25 regardless of location or occupancy.

Interior Finish of Decorative Material
Unframed Rigid Combustible Material: Rigid Combustible decorative material and assemblies of materials not more than 1/4 inch in thickness used for folding doors, room dividers, decorative screens and similar applications, which do not create concealed spaces and are installed with exposed edges, shall be flame-retardant.

Framed Rigid Combustible Decorative Materials: Rigid combustible decorative material and assemblies of materials not more than 1/4 inch in thickness used for folding doors, room dividers, decorative screens and similar applications, which are installed with all edges protected, shall conform to the following:
1. All exposed edges shall be protected with frames of metal or other noncombustible material, or solid wood of a minimum of 1/4 inch dimension.   
2. The total square foot area of the material shall not exceed ten percent (10%) of that of the floor area of the room in which the material is installed.
 

Canvas, cloth, cardboard, leaves or similar combustible materials shall not be used in construction of ceilings for longer than thirty (30) days and shall be completely flame-retardant.

Required exit doors, exit lights, fire alarm sending stations, wet standpipe hose cabinets and fire extinguisher locations shall not be concealed or obstructed by any decorative material.

Treatments used to accomplish this flame retardation shall be renewed as often as deemed necessary by Fire Prevention Bureau to maintain the flame-retardation effect.

All displays or exhibits of combustible material or construction and all booths and temporary construction in connection therewith shall be so limited in combustibility or protected as to avoid any undue hazard of fire that might endanger occupants before they have the opportunity to use available exits, as determined by the authority having jurisdiction.

Non-compliance of this requirement will cause the revoking of fire permit and / or in the case of exhibits, the elimination of the booth from the show.

Motor Vehicle Display
The following are the Long Beach Fire Department’s minimum fire safety requirements for public display of motor vehicles assemblage occupancies:

Fuel Tanks: Fuel tanks, unless never having held fuel, shall be maintained between 1/4 and “full” of fuel. Caps for fuel tank fill pipes shall be of the locking type and maintained locked. If it is not practical to attach such a cap, an alternate method may be employed with permission of the Long Beach Fire Department.

Electrical System: The electrical system shall be de-energized. This will be one by one of the following:
1. Removing the battery.    
2. Removing the battery cable.    
3. Disconnecting one battery cable and covering it with electrical tape or other similar insulating material.
 

Location: Display shall be located so as not to obstruct any required aisle or exit way.

Miscellaneous: Operation of motor vehicles is prohibited except for late night or morning hours while setting up or taking down equipment for shows.

Fireworks and/or Pyrotechnics
Listed below are the requirements for any inside fireworks display held in the City of Long Beach:
1. No fireworks display will be allowed during an open dance floor concert.                  
2. In a concert where seating is provided, fireworks are allowed when:
a. A Pyrotechnician licensed by the California State Fire Marshall has obtained a permit through Long Beach Bureau of Fire Protection office. This technician must be present for the fireworks display.
b. If the standby fireman present feels unsure about the proposed display, he may require the pyrotechnician to demonstrate the firework in question outside in a clear area.       
3. A fire standby will be required anytime a fireworks display is planned.
4. Applications for permits shall be made in writing at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the display.
5. Only those fireworks that were approved prior to issuing the permit  will be allowed during the display. Any additional unauthorized fireworks displayed during the show will result in voiding the permit and / or rejecting any future permits for events by the involved company. It may also result in revocation of license.
 

Use of Candles and Open Flames
Contact the Long Beach Fire Department (Bureau of Fire Protection) for code requirements prior to use.

Standby Firemen
Section 26.114. Whenever, in the opinion of the Chief, it is essential for public safety in any place of public assembly or any other place where people congregate, due to the number of persons, or the nature of the performance, exhibition, display, context of activity; the owner, agent or lessee shall employ one or more experienced firemen, as required and approved by the Chief to be on duty at such a place. Said firemen shall be subject to the Chief’s orders at all times when so employed and shall be in uniform and remain on duty during the times such places are open to the public, or when such activity is being conducted and take prompt measures for the extinguishment of fires that may occur. Firemen shall not be required or permitted, while on duty, to perform any other functions than those herein specified.
NOTE: VIOLATIONS OF THE UNIFORM FIRE CODE, WHICH INCLUDES THESE REQUIREMENTS, IS A MISDEMEANOR AND IS SUBJECT TO PROSECUTION.
 

We especially direct your attention to the fact that compliance with the requirements of the Fire Department does not preclude the necessity of complying with the regulations of other authorities and / or licensing agencies. For additional information, please contact the Bureau of Fire Prevention, Monday thru Friday 7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at (562) 570-2560.

Pyro Insurance Requirements
Article 15.9931.
1. The certificate of insurance shall include all of the following:    
a. The deductible, if any, cannot exceed fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00)
[19 Cal, Adm. Code 933(a)]                   
b. Limits of bodily injury of not less than fifty-thousand dollars ($50,000.00) for one person or one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) for each occurrence annually.
[19 Cal. Adm. Code 993(a)]             
c. Limit of property damage liability of not less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) for each occurrence as payment of damages to persons or property which may result from; or be caused by such public display of fireworks, or any negligence on the part of the licensee or his or its agents, servants, employees, or subcontractors presenting such public display.
[Cal. Adm. Code 993(a)]     
d. A statement that the insurer will not cancel the insured’s coverage without thirty (30) days prior written notice to the California State Fire Marshall.
[Health & Safety Code 12611 (a)]     
e. That the state shall not be responsible for any premium or assessments on the policy.
[Health & Safety Code 12611 (a)]
f. That the duly licensed pyrotechnic operator required by law to supervise and discharge the public display, acting either as an employee of the State of California, its officers, agents, employees, and servants are included as additional insureds, but only insofar as any operations under contact are concerned.
[Health & Safety Code 12611 (a)]       
g. Also, the certificate must include as additional insureds:”SMG and The City of Long Beach, their officers, agents and employees are listed as additional insureds.” (this exact verbage must be used.)
 

Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center
Exhibitor Rules & Regulations
• No signs, banners, decorations, or materials of any nature, are to be taped, tacked, secured, fastened or anchored to any building part, wall, pillar, door, or window.
• No outside food or beverage is allowed inside the facility. Please contact our in-house food and beverage provider      at Ext. 565 for this service.
• No items may be thrown at any time from your booth(s).
• If your booth generates boxes or trash during show hours, porter service is recommended. This service may be ordered through your show’s general contractor or by dialing Ext. 541 on a building house phone
• Please remember not to throw boxes or trash generated during show hours into the aisles.
• We recommend locking or removing valuables from your booth nightly.
• Loading docks are for loading and unloading only. All vehicles left in loading areas will be towed away at the owners expense.
• When loading and unloading items you must enter and exit through loading dock areas only. No carts, cases or boxes will be allowed through public entrance doors.
• The exhibition hall air walls are covered with a delicate vinyl fabric. This fabric tears easily. Please use caution when working close to them.
• No item whatsoever is to be placed in the aisles (tables, chairs, product, etc.)
• All decorations and items within your booth must be fireproof. If you have any questions please dial Ext. 514 on a house phone.

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