Blog Exclusive! Behind-the-scenes at Victoria Court fire

It’s all heating up at Coronation Street as Victoria Court goes up in flames tonight.

And it's been burned to the ground by the same fella who set fire to the Rovers Return.

Working behind the scenes to ensure filming of the fire runs both smoothly and safely is Matt Owens and his team from Rapid Fire Cover who are Television and Event Fire Safety Specialists.

Matt has kindly agreed to an interview with us here on the Coronation Street Blog to talk us through what it’s like to set Victoria Court on fire and burn it to the ground!

Matt with fire dog Charlie on set at Coronation Street

Me: By ‘eck, that was a big fire! It was so big it made the headlines in the press when it was filmed as people were ringing 999 to report a real fire on the set.  Did it get out of hand or was it always meant to be such an inferno?

Matt: The fire was never out of hand and it was actually designed to be on such a large scale. The fire service were aware of what we were doing as they had been briefed prior to the stunt, but due to a 999 call from a concerned Corrie Fan, they had to come and have a look. Due to the professionalism of our crew and the Real SFX crew, there was never any foreseeable risk to cast or crew. We had assessed all aspects of the stunt and strategically positioned our firefighters on all floors, ready to extinguish the fire upon cut.

Me: Rapid Fire Cover are no strangers to Coronation Street – you did the fire for the Rovers Return too! How was this fire different to work on?

Matt: Victoria Court is a completely different building to the Rovers, but the hazards and risks to the cast and crew are the same. The exterior of Victoria Court  is a building consisting of 3 floors. We had firefighters on each floor, inside and out. The interior shots were inside a warehouse, where the walls could be removed to allow for ventilation and to enable us to gain access quickly.

Me: When you set fire to the Rovers Return that was on the old set. Where there any difficulties on working on the new set or was it a bit easier, being bigger?

Matt: This was our first time filming on the new set and there were no difficulties as such, if anything it made it easier to manoeuvre our two fire appliances on set. It was a very strange feeling though as we were used to being at the Quay Street set, you feel like you know where you are walking down the street, but when you get to the end, you are in a completely different place!

Me: Is there anything you can tell us about the fire from a technical point of view?

Matt: As for every fire cover job we do, we will go and recce the sets and write a risk assessment which covers all of the sequences and locations involved.  On the bigger nights we had 2 fire appliances, a fire supervisor and 10 firefighters on standby. Unless the sequence has gone wrong, we will wait until the director cuts. We will then extinguish the fires using a mixture of co2 and water, which can pose its own risks. Rapid Fire only employ serving and experienced firefighters and have the newest available vehicles and kit around, this is something we pride ourselves on.

Real SFX provided the special effects, they had a team of 6 who were responsible for igniting the fires and setting up the explosives. We work with these guys regularly and these guys know what they are doing. There were around 30 gas feeds into the sets which are all independently controlled to set fire levels to exactly what the director wants.

Every body on the crew, including the director, have to wear fire proof clothing. All of the artistes clothes had to be fire proofed as well.

Me: Did you have to give any of the actors or cast and crew members special fire training on this stunt? 

Matt: One of the scenes involves an artiste breaking through the front door of Carla's apartment and trying to tackle the fire with a fire extinguisher. This required a small amount of training in how to operate a fire extinguisher correctly. Both myself and David Kester the director felt that the artiste should use the extinguisher correctly in case viewers at home encountered a small fire and used a fire extinguisher with out training.

The Watch manager, who is in the white helmet, is an actor called John Burton and the Fire investigation officer is played by Simon Smithies, both of these guys played the same roles on the Rovers Fire, they are the crème de la crème of Weatherfield Fire and Rescue service! Both actors are really friendly guys, we gave them some input on what their roles would involve and answered any questions they had.

Me: Do any of the cast members get scared filming fire scenes or do they never have anything to worry about being looked after by your crew?

Matt: I'd say one cast member was a little nervous, but we won't mention his name! We are taking people out of their comfort zone and putting them in a situation which in normal circumstances, you would run the other way! The temperatures inside the sets were extremely hot, which was uncomfortable for the artistes. We reassure them and explain what is going on and that we are there to look after them. They are also advised of exits and signals for if they are in distress. If they were to signal, they would be removed from the risk area immediately. Our firefighters are never normally more than a few feet from artistes either. St John's ambulance are always on standby so we can get people into immediate medical care if required.

Me: Did you use any of your own people on screen on this fire?

Matt: All of the Firefighters you see on screen are supplied by Rapid Fire, they are all professional firefighters who serve with various fire services. We also supplied a four legged fella called Charlie, he is deployed to fire related incidents and is trained in the detection of fuels and accelerants, which will assist in fire investigation.

Me: What's been the best things about working on Coronation Street again - and did you get star struck this time? 

Matt: The best thing was working with the cast and crew, it is always a pleasure to work at Coronation Street and catch up with friends we have there. Its very humbling to think that they trust us with the safety of their cast and crew on sequences that have the potential to go very wrong! It is also a privilege to be asked to be involved in what is the street's biggest ever fire.

The worst parts were the night shoots, which I don't think anyone enjoys, starting at 7pm and finishing at 6am. I didn't get the chance to work with my good friend Antony Cotton either, as he was busy filming Steve and Michelle's wedding. He is a born entertainer and when we have worked together previously, he's always kept us amused and stocked up with sweets!

Me: Anything else you'd like to tell us?

Matt: I think the viewers are in for some great television, it has already been tipped as the biggest fire the street has ever seen. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch to let us know your thoughts, our Twitter is @RapidFireCover

Thanks for reading.

Matt Owens
Operations Manager at Rapid Fire Cover

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Blog Exclusive! Stunt secrets of Corrie car crash

Here we go with another Coronation Street Blog exclusive.

We have a fab interview with Matt Owens from Rapid Fire Cover, Television and Event Fire Safety Specialists. Matt was the chap in charge of setting the Rovers Return on fire earlier this year and now he’s back to cause car crash carnage on Coronation Street.  Just try saying that with a mouthful of Deirdre's stuffed marrow!

Not content with setting the Rovers Return on fire a few weeks ago, Rapid Fire Cover are smashing up two of our favourite Corrie characters and putting one of them in a coma after a nasty car crash next week.

Q: Who’s driving the truck and the Nick’s Bistro van – are they stunt doubles, specially trained drivers for this sort of thing?
A: Both the truck and Nick’s van are driven by trained stunt drivers under the direction and supervision of the stunt co-ordinator. They are wearing the same costume etc. so that from a distance it looks like the actors that are driving.

Q: At what point do you stop the action with the actors and put the stunt drivers in? 
A: The stunt drivers are bought in for anything that may require precision driving or something that is deemed high risk. In general, the actors don't do the stunts, although the one shot where the van goes in to a spin is with a stunt driver at the wheel and Jack in the passenger seat. This sequence was rehearsed prior to Jack been put in the van. At the point of the lorry crashing in to the van, there were two dummies dressed the same as the actors inside as obviously the potential for the stunt to go wrong at this point is extremely high. Once the vehicles have stopped, been checked over and made safe, the actors will have been into make-up and are then carefully put inside the damaged vehicles as if they were there all along!

Q: Did you have to do more than one ‘take’ with the crash to get it filmed from different angles?
A: After the vehicles had been involved in the stunt, they were visibly damaged. This limits the amount of takes we can do but can also add pressure to the cast and crew to get it right first time. Extra cameras were bought in to capture the action from different angles and to ensure that the stunt was completed in one take. Like with anything, the more times you do something, you increase the likelihood of something going wrong. This is also the same for the scenes where we are cutting the vehicle up during the rescue, after we have taken a door off or cut away at the roof, it is very difficult to put it back together, we can’t just blue tack them back on!

Q: Obviously the stunt doubles and actors’ safety is paramount, but what about the vehicles, don’t they get smashed up all the time? Do you have mechanics who have to knock all the dents out after the shoot? What happens?

A: The vehicles are bought specifically for the stunt and prepared accordingly. We actually had two Bistro vans, one that was driveable and one that had been adapted for the stunt. Parts of the interior and airbag had been removed to reduce the risk to the stunt drivers and actors.  The battery was changed with a dry cell battery and the fuel tank had been replaced with a much smaller one to reduce the risk of fire. The driver’s side had also been reinforced so that the van did not crumple inwards upon impact and the lorry also had an extra bull bar fitted to protect the stunt driver that was inside. The vehicles are usually scrapped when they have been finished with as they would be unsafe to put back on the road. I don’t think there is much call for convertible vans anyway!

Q:  When the Rovers burned down, it seemed like there were lots of people on the set watching and being there for safety reasons. Were there just as many on the shoot for the car crash?
A: There were not as many people on standby for this as it wasn't deemed as high risk as the Rovers fire sequences, although it obviously posed its own risks. We had five firefighters and a fire appliance on standby carrying hydraulic cutting gear, backed up with battery operated cutting gear, plus a full inventory of rescue equipment.  An ambulance crew were also on standby incase we needed to get a stunt driver or anyone else for that matter into immediate medical care.

Q:  What sort of safety procedures did you have to put in place before, during and after a scene like this car crash?
A: As for every stunt we are involved in, everything is risk assessed and discussed months in advance. Whilst we understand there is a need for the desired footage, there cannot be a compromise to anybody's safety. Prior to the stunt taking place, all of the cast and crew are briefed on how the stunt will be carried out. Everything is checked thoroughly and rehearsed a couple of times to ensure that everyone is aware of what is going on and to establish safe areas where cast, crew, cameras and sound equipment can and cannot be located, as I have said previously, we only get one shot at this. During the stunt we are fully kitted up and on standby, so that we are available at a moment’s notice should the stunt goes wrong. Rapid Fire only employ serving firefighters, so we are obviously well rehearsed. Once the stunt has been carried out, with the stunt coordinator, we will firstly ensure that the stunt driver or actor are ok and have not sustained any injuries and then we will check the vehicles over and make sure they are safe and do not pose a risk.

Q:  Ooh, it sounds exciting!  Is there anything else you'd like to share?
A: Jack P Shepard (David Platt) is one of the funniest people I have had the pleasure of working with and Ben Price (Nick Tilsley) makes an amazing cup of tea!

Q:  Oh go on, give us some gossip from the set.
A: I have applied for the vacancy coming up at Weatherfield Fire Station,  my interview is next week, remember you heard it here first.... EXCLUSIVE!

I'm sorry if I have spoiled the illusion for any one! I think I may have given all of the trade secrets away here. Don't try this at home kids!

Follow us on Twitter @RapidFireCover to find out what other projects we are working on. Send us a tweet and let us know what you think!

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