The fire safety order that came into effect in October of 2006 states that your staff must understand their duties in an emergency and that you should train staff who have a specific role in ensuring safety or in evacuating a building. A fire marshall (or warden) is responsible for helping to implement the findings of the fire risk assessment (FRA) that you have in place. They can play a part in fire prevention on your premises, helping in an emergency evacuation and checking that equipment and facilities are properly maintained. This includes such things as directing other people in an emergency, helping any disabled people who are on the premises and following the FRA correctly. A fire marshall must have training so they will know what to do in the event of a fire. Typical marshall or warden training can be done in a matter of a few hours and does not have to be complicated or expensive.
Who Should Be Given Training?
This particular course will teach your employees what to do in the event of a an emergency as well as a lot of very useful general information about safety. They will learn how fire spreads, where danger spots are, how to properly use fire extinguishers, how to set up and use evacuation procedures, how to call the emergency services, how to spot a fire and the most common causes of combustion. They will also learn about record keeping which is an important part of safety maintenance.
The emergency services can check on your business at any time and part of the procedure is checking records and making sure you have a fire marshall in place. Keeping proper records is a way of proving to the authorities that you have undertaken checks and training as the law requires you to. Unless you can prove that you have met the requirements of the Regulatory Reform Order, you could be prosecuted.
What The Job Of A Marshall Entails
The people given this role are responsible for much of what occurs before and during a fire. That is why fire marshall training is so important. A fire marshall can play a part in ensuring that all employees know what to do in case of a fire. If a new employee comes in it is up to the fire marshall to see to it that the new employee knows his responsibilities. This type of training is needed to teach the designated marshall how to use fire extinguishers properly and what colour of fire extinguisher works on different types of fires.
Without this type of staff training your premises will not be properly protected and could fail a check by the emergency services. When you send an employee on one of these courses you are completing an important part of your obligations under current safety legislation. It is the law to have a fire marshall on your business premises. If you have a large business you may need to train several people in this role. It is always a wise idea to have more than you need rather than not enough.
There are many good fire consultants who provide staff safety training for businesses throughout the UK.
Find out about fire marshal training on K Garrow's website, which provides advice on many workplace safety issues including fire risk assessments, choosing fire consultants, all current fire safety regulations and emergency lighting regulations.