FIRE SAFETY SERVICES
A requirement under current law, fire training for staff must be carried out on a regular basis, we recommend at least once per year, but your fire risk assessment should advise on this and how often, depending on a number of factors such as occupancy type, building structure, shift patterns etc.
General overview of Fire Safety Training
Fire training should be carried out by a ‘competent person’ and should be ‘suitable and sufficient’ to allow people to understand what to do in case of a fire. Content of the training should cover at least the basics of identifying escape routes, what are ignition sources and how to control them, how to evacuate the building efficiently, correct routine maintenances, how to operate a portable fire extinguisher, explanation of the definition of fire, and much more. The training should then be logged, and records kept for at least three years as an audit trail.
The training can be facilitated either on-line with a service provider or practical on-site training with a demonstration on how to operate fire extinguishers and to then walk escape routes throughout your building.
Case studies are always a source of information and when Active Fire Safety Solutions are employed to carry out this training, we have numerous examples of real fires to prove and reaffirm certain points within our training packages. The lesson can be learnt particular from practical experiences and post-incident reports.
The on-site training is always well received and our training also covers the buildings current fire risk assessment points, the buildings fire strategy and the site-specific fire emergency evacuation plan details.
We also offer a combination training session (known as our combi-course), which includes basic fire awareness together with a planned fire drill, to test and record how your buildings procedures operate. It is concluded with a short report, with any recommendations we consider necessary to ensure it is ‘suitable and sufficient’ and ‘fit for purpose’.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fire Safety Training
Below you will find answers to commonly asked questions.
There is no laid down frequency, but it depends on turnover of staff ,the risk that you manage and the type of premises and evacuation procedures you have adopted.
what actions to take on (A). hearing the fire alarm (B) What action to take on discovering a fire.
- The elements of combustion or the triangle of fire as it is widely known. 2. Identifying ignition sources with your building. 3. Types of fire extinguishers in use and what type of fire to use them on. 4. Escape routes within your building. 5. How to call the fire and rescue service. 6. How to use a fire blanket. 7. How to evacuate residents in care home or nursing homes. 8. Explanation at residential care homes as to the fire compartment locations and their sizes in sleeping areas. 9. Fire door procedure and how to open a fire door where fire is suspected.
It is advisable, but no legal challenge has been made if you don’t. So longs you carry out on-line training or equivalent that is acceptable, however we personally always recommend practical extinguisher training at least every three years or as often as considered necessary, with the level of fire risk and occupants.
In your fire logbook.
Yes to date as far as we are aware, there has never been a legal challenge to prevent this type of training and that it is assessed as ‘suitable and sufficient’ as deemed by the fire safety order 2005.