Fire safety training is key to knowing what to do in the event of a fire, how to perform a swift and safe evacuation, and when to safely use a fire extinguisher — it’s life-saving stuff. In our opinion, the fire safety training is a vital part of any workplace.
However, if you’re an employer, you might be thinking: is fire safety training mandatory?
The short answer is — yes!
If you have employees or volunteers, it’s your responsibility to provide adequate fire safety training. In fact, it’s more than a responsibility, it’s a legal requirement. Without the correct fire safety training and procedures in place, staff will not only put themselves at great risk, but also the persons that they are responsible for.
If you’re an employer, it’s likely that you’re the Responsible Person for your site (every site needs one and it’s often the employer or landlord). This means you’ll also be in charge of appointing a competent person to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment for the premises — which will require evidence that fire awareness and safety training has been provided.
What fire safety training do I need to provide as an employer?
Your obligations will depend on the size of your team, your building, and the risks in your workplace. Your Fire Risk Assessor or Fire Safety Advisor will be able to advise you on the training requirements for your type and size of business. This may assist you with your business training needs analysis (TNA.)
As part of your fire risk assessment and training needs analysis, it’s important to identify the number of fire wardens required within your premises. Fire wardens will require extra training and take on more responsibility for your team’s fire safety. It is also ideal for fire warden training to be site specific. By having your fire training on-site, your trainers can adapt the course to your specific premises, risks, and staff. This will help you and your staff get the most out of the training.
Ideally, all employees should undergo fire safety training so everyone can be as prepared as possible to deal with and try to prevent an emergency. Your fire safety training, as a minimum, should include tips and knowledge for fire prevention, what fire precautions are in place, site-specific procedures, safe use of fire extinguishers and evacuation aids, as well as detailing risks and hazards highlighted within your fire risk assessments and found within the premises.
Does our fire safety training need to be face-to-face?
The level of risk and the complexity of the premises will impact on the delivery method of the fire safety training. For example, a low-complexity premises may be two-three storey office, whereas a high-complexity premises may be a healthcare site.
Example for low-complexity = Year 1 face-to-face, Year 2 E-Learning, Year 3 E-Learning, Year 4 face-to-face.
Example medium-complexity = Year 1 face-to-face, Year 2 E-Learning, Year 3 face-to-face, Year 4 E-Learning.
Example high-complexity = Year 1 face-to-face, Year 2 face-to-face, Year 3 face-to-face, Year 4 face-to-face.
LS Fire Solutions | Fire Safety Training | South East England
At LS Fire Solutions, we provide comprehensive fire safety training for both our local areas in Newbury and Berkshire, but also nationwide.
We offer several fire safety courses, including fire safety awareness training, fire warden training, practical use of a fire extinguisher, site-specific fire evacuation aid training and site-specific healthcare fire evacuation training.
We are proud to have supplied our various training courses to a variety of our clients including NHS Trusts, care homes, schools, and holiday parks, helping to fulfil their fire safety training obligations. Contact us today to learn more about our training courses.