Fire Marshall Training

The Importance Of Fire Marshall Training

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Under fire safety legislation all employers and business managers have a duty to ensure the safety of their staff and premises, which includes assessing the risks of fire and putting plans in place to minimise these risks. Part of this is emergency planning and working out systems for dealing with outbreaks of fire. An essential part of any emergency planning is staff training, because no plan will work unless key people understand their roles and are fully trained in their duties and responsibilities.

It is a legal requirement that the findings of your risk assessment should be passed on to all staff. Everyone also needs to know about fundamental things like the evacuation procedure, what do to in the event of a fire and where the Assembly Point is for fire evacuation. Training for all staff may also include instructions on how to use a fire extinguisher or other fire safety appliances, but only if that is what your emergency plan says is required. Other things that are applicable to all staff are ongoing issues such as keeping fire exit routes and doors clear at all times and not allowing combustible rubbish to build up in enclosed areas.

The Need For Fire Marshall Training

In addition to the training and information that you must provide to all your staff, there are some personnel who will have special duties or particular roles in an emergency or in the prevention of fire. These are your nominated Fire Marshals or Wardens and special fire marshal training is required for these people, above and beyond what you provide to other staff. This training will be more specialised and detailed, giving these people the information they need to fulfil their particular duties.

The duties taken on by fire marshals may include responsibility for checking particular areas during an evacuation, shutting down certain equipment or machinery, using fire extinguishers or other equipment to fight a fire, guiding people to the assembly point and even being responsible for giving safety training to other members of staff.

Fire marshall training could include being given a more detailed knowledge of the premises, being trained in how to operate a fire extinguisher (usually including hands on practice) or having particular responsibilities for certain groups of people such as visitors or disabled members of staff.

Who Can Provide Fire Marshall Training?

Fire marshal training is a very specialist field and is usually provided by professional fire consultants. Local fire authority officers may come and give a talk, but most tend not to get involved in formal training these days. There are lots of fire safety consultants to choose from, most of who are former fire authority professionals. It is best not to skimp on something as important as this, so do ensure you use people who really know what they are talking about, so that they can fully answer any questions your staff may have.

What To Expect From Fire Marshall Training

A good provider of fire marshal training should offer a good grounding in the basic theories of fire safety and prevention, as well as a clear understanding of the fire marshall role in your place of work. The fire safety training should include information on the things necessary for a fire to start, the dangers of smoke and how it can spread, what fires require in order to spread and therefore what actions can be taken to prevent ignition and spreading.

In addition to this, staff should learn the importance of practice evacuations, alarm drills and testing, be clear about their own role in an emergency, be aware of the risks of arson, understand how people may behave during a fire and become competent in the use of fire fighting equipment and appliances.

What Happens After Fire Marshall Training?

Putting your designated staff through fire marshal training is an excellent start, but you must remember that the professional training alone is never going to be all you need to do. Once staff are trained and understand their duties and have a greater knowledge of fire hazards and safety, you need to put measures in place to capitalise on the training in order to make sure your workplace really is safe.

The basics are of course putting in place regular fire drills, testing your alarms and regular maintenance of all your fire safety equipment, including fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, fire alarm system, etc. When you carry out practice evacuations, always have a feedback session afterwards, as there is almost always something to be learnt from the experience, and that is the whole point of them.