(Saturday October 19, 2013) It was a cold, wet and windy fall night in Cleveland. But that didn’t stop over 1,500 people from gathering in the Flats district to watch an attempt at a Guinness World Record.
Hotcards, a Cleveland based print & design company, created and promoted the entire event. Many of its employees, including CEO John Gadd, took part in the event as well. Along with a potential world record, the event also benefited the Cleveland Foodbank and nonprofit organization Brick by Brick.
In coordination with Hotcards, veteran stuntman Ted Batchelor was the man behind the stunt. Already having set the previous world record for 17 people burning at once back in 2009, Batchelor coordinated and oversaw the entire event. Over his long career, Ted has been set on fire over 200 times, giving him an unmatched expertise with these types of events.
National Safety Apparel was selected as the official Flame Retardant (FR) garment supplier for the entire event, further increasing the Cleveland pride theme throughout the night. The 21 individuals taking part in the burn, the “Burners”, were wearing a combination of FR fabrics consisting of 4 layers, carefully selected by Batchelor himself.
Each participant was wearing an outer layer soaked in lighter fluid on top of the FR garments. After a countdown in unison from the crowd, the igniters lit each of the burners, and the record was underway. For 30 seconds, the “burners” walked back in fourth across the closed off parking lot using special techniques taught from Batchelor to prevent flames from concentrating on the head and face. Once the goal of 30 seconds had been reached, a loud siren signaled each of the “burners” to drop to the ground, giving the “igniters” the opportunity to rush in and suppress the flames with fire extinguishers and wet blankets.
The record attempt was a success, confirmed by Phillip Robertson, an onsite judge from Guinness World Records. The clothing layer soaked in fuel, the non FR shirts and pants, were burnt and shredded, but the FR layers performed exceptional and were completely intact. All of the participants walked away completely safe and unharmed from the event.
