Fire Marshal Training
Emergency Responders
My January 2020 blog stressed the need to prepare for the unexpected, by appointing emergency response teams. First aider training is well-defined in the UK – but what is the required standard for training fire marshals (fire wardens)?
What are Fire Marshals For?
Different companies will have different views on the role of fire marshals – there being no strict definition. In most organisations, however, the general duty is to assist employers with:
- Fire prevention
- Fire protection
- Fire evacuation
Fire marshals are therefore a useful extra pair of eyes and ears for your fire prevention strategy.
They should therefore be conversant with your fire risk assessment and should have a mini job description included in your H&S Policies/Procedures.Â
Orderly Evacuation
This should underline their important role in ensuring an orderly evacuation of everyone within their demised area, and for reporting the result to the incident controller.
Section 18 (Safety assistance) of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires companies or, to be precise, the “responsible person”, to appoint one or more competent persons to assist them in undertaking preventive and protective (fire) measures.
The legislation doesn’t state the particular number of fire marshals required, but as a general rule of thumb, one fire marshal should suffice for every 20 people working on the premises.Â
The precise ratio will depend on the level of risk, and the distribution of staff throughout the premises.
The Syllabus
Adopting a more flexible approach than some other countries, the UK doesn’t specify a standard for fire marshal (fire warden) training, but you should consider covering at least the following topics:
- General housekeeping
- Fire safety legislation
- Fire prevention
- Fire detection
- Fire classification
- Escape, drills and evacuation policy
- Importance of an assembly point and roll call
- Fire marshal roles and responsibilities
- Record keeping
- Types of fire extinguishers and their uses and limitations
The duration of the training will depend on your chosen provider, but Arinite can provide the above training in half a day.
Certification
My October 2019 blog underlined the distinction between training and simply imparting information.
Would-be fire marshals therefore need to undertake a test of competence, to check that that they have assimilated, and are capable of applying, the training.
Fire marshal training should therefore lead to the award of a certificate – which would normally be valid for three years.
Arinite clients appreciate we provide practical, no-nonsense advice about what you need to do to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment.
Our team of health and safety consultants take pride in keeping health and safety simple. If you need to call upon our expert assistance, or just for an informal chat, please call our office 0207 947 9581, or type an enquiry to: https://www.arinite.com/contact-us/.
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