Find out more about fire marshal training for your company; what requirements you have and how to fulfil them. A fire or emergency can occur at any time, it’s for this reason that it’s important to have the proper procedures in place to deal with such an emergency. Procedures, awareness and standards can save lives so it’s important the guidelines are followed, and suitable cover is arranged.
All employees should receive basic fire safety training, however there may also be a requirement for a dedicated fire marshal depending on risk levels, shift patterns and number of staff. Basic fire safety training includes information on where to evaluate to in the event of an emergency, routes to use and any site-specific dangers to be aware of.
A fire marshal is a dedicated role where a member or members of staff are responsible for co-ordinating the safe evacuation of staff in an emergency, raising the alarm and taking action if appropriate to do so.
As a company, you are required to provide sufficient measures in place to meet the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, this may include standard basic training or designated fire marshals. To meet these regulations, you must provide suitable training or fire marshals to cover the risks present at your premises and for the quantity of staff.
You need to complete a specific fire marshal training course in order to fulfil the formal role of a fire marshal as dictated by your fire risk assessment. This needs to be kept up to date every 3 years. It’s important that formal training is delivered. Designated fire marshals learn how to:
Categorise fire risks
Identify suitable action, if appropriate
Raise the alarm
Perform a safe and thorough evacuation
Use firefighting apparatus, such as fire extinguishers
The first step with identifying the number of marshals required is the fire risk assessment, this will identify risks and grade areas on several factors to establish their danger level. For example, a general office environment would have different risks to a canteen, or a warehouse where forklift trucks are present.
Once a risk assessment has been completed you will be able to identify the level of fire marshal cover required for your company, there is no set specific figure as each case or environment can be different
You can view the relevant legislation directly at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/contents/made.
Often a building will be broken down into individual areas whereby specific staff are given their own areas of responsibility
The training shows what constitutes a hazard, key signs to look for, and puts in place a plan so you’re aware of who this needs to be reported to.
This is only applicable in certain circumstances and must only be undertaken when evaluated as being safe and suitable to do so. For example, a small cardboard fire could be extinguisher with an available fire extinguisher following completion of the course.
The Fire House Group have been providing fire safety training and courses since 2005, visit our fire marshal training page (https://www.thefirehousegroup.co.uk/services/fire-marshall) to find out how we can help you put a suitable plan in place. We can offer a full end-to-end services including assessments and all required training.
We offer Fire Safety solutions to customers nationwide with offices in Barnsley, Gateshead, Durham, Leeds, Wakefield & Nottingham.
