Safety priority of FX inspector

Kate Lowenhar

Tuesday, Sept. 3, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

As a Clark County fire inspector for 17 years, no one can trace the city's rapid technological growth better than June Fields.

She has become knowledgeable about everything from routine outlets to dazzling special effects that use gas flames and lasers.

Fields has been a Las Vegas resident for 30 years and fire service runs in her family. Her husband is retired from the Clark County Fire Department and her son is a fire engineer.

These days, Fields is assigned to new hotels and has recently observed the completion of the Monte Carlo.

Unlike most fire inspectors in other cities, Fields must keep current with the latest in special-effects technology.

Her first foray into this area was the fire-belching volcano at The Mirage, the attraction credited with launching a tidal wave of special-effects competitors. Recent visitors to The Mirage will notice the addition of colored fire and water vapor fog.

"Las Vegas is such a unique town with regard to special effects that we end up writing our own (safety) standards," Fields said, noting that there are no uniform codes for such things as pirate battles and volcanoes.

"No two installations are alike, so we have no blueprint. We must ask, 'Can we do this and can it be done safely? Safety is our No. 1 priority.'"

And all of that attention has paid off. To date, there have been no injuries related to the technical or electrical makeup of the special affects.

"Las Vegas cannot afford such injuries," Fields said. "In another city, such an incident would be third-page news. If it happened in Las Vegas, it would be on CNN a half-hour later."

Other projects on which Fields has served as fire inspector include the pirate ship battle at Treasure Island, the "EFX" show at the MGM Grand, Magical Empire at Caesars Palace and "Starlight Express" at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Fields also recently supervised on the set of the upcoming movie "Con Air," starring Danny DeVito. Among other effects, audiences will see the implosion of the Landmark hotel-casino.

The fire inspector's work on the movie placed no added burden on taxpayers since overtime was covered by the production company.

Fields says that as far as she knows, she is "the only fire inspector in the world" who deals on a daily basis with such complex special-effects in new construction.