Hey, your face is on fire!

Maybe you heard of the fire breathing accident recently in Russia, but probably not. These types of stories spread like wildfire (see what I did there) in the fire manipulation community.
This video upsetting to watch! There's so many issues around this performance I don't even know where to start but we're going to skip to the grand finale. Around 4:30, 3 fire breathers walk out from backstage. Note the direction the flame is blowing (this is so important when manipulating fire). The wind is blowing directly at these performers, based on the direction of the flames. What happens when you spit fuel into the wind? It blows back into your face. The idea with fire breathing is that you're creating a spray of fuel out of your mouth that catches fire, but your continual 'blowing' out of the fuel keeps it away from your face and mouth. This is a very dangerous practice, so much so, this adrenaline junkie and thrill seeker has absolutely no interest in learning or trying it. However, I am very familiar with the practice, have friends and performers in my group that do it, and I understand the techniques, fuels used and why, safety measures and risks.

All 3 of these fire breathers light their face on fire in this performance. Before it gets too detrimental, their initial reactions are so shocking to me. One casually wipes the flame off their face and continues to perform, like this is a normal happening! It is NOT! Their fuel bottles catch on fire (which should NEVER happen!), they throw them around on the ground, let them stay lit, their safety people (were they trained at all!?) look confused and have no idea what to do. The behavior from these supposed performers is appalling and led to their demise. I have never, ever seen a flame on a fire breathers face in my 15 years in this community. That is always considered an accident, and the performance should absolutely stop! I can see where these guys went wrong. They blow their fuel directly into the wind, and they KEEP DOING IT AFTER LIGHTING THEIR FACE ON FIRE. Can you tell I'm so bothered by this video!?

'I can't even'.... get into the (lack of) response of these supposed safety personnel. I'll save the role of a safety for another post. Cue: guy standing there watching with a fire extinguisher. facepalm

As a fire breather, or any fire performer, really, It is so important to gauge the direction of the wind and turn your face accordingly. These guys could have turned to either side and had much better luck with this wind. Don't try this at home, or in front of a crowd, unless you are well experienced!