Working together to improve fire safety
Working together to improve fire safety
There is little value in having a robust Fire Evacuation Plan if your employees haven’t had suitable training and are unfamiliar with the strategy!
The key to the successful management of fire safety is to ensure that suitable fire safety training is provided to your employees, so that they know what to do in the event of a fire. Our half day Fire Warden training is designed specifically with your building type and occupancy in mind.
Do my staff need Fire Safety Training?
It is particularly important to ensure that staff who have responsibilities in the event of a fire are suitable trained on the actions to be adopted. This is a specific requirement under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which states that property owners, or those who are in control of non-domestic premises must ensure that their staff are adequately training in fire safety; the fire safety training provided is better known as either Fire Warden, or Fire Marshall Training.
The extent of the training provided to your staff will depend on the level of risk associated with the premises and the types and numbers of people occupying them.
Fire Warden Training for Care Home Staff
The most high-risk premises are those where people sleep. If you then include older or vulnerable people, such as in a Care Home, who may have mobility issues, hearing or sight impairment, mental health problems etc., then the risk becomes very high, as it often becomes more difficult and complex to evacuate, compared to premises where people can self-evacuate.
The evacuation aim for Care Homes is to ensure that all Residents can be evacuated from the fire source room to a place of relative safety within 2 ½ minutes of the alarm being raised. The first action will always to be to try and evacuate the fire source room, then the affected compartment, gradually moving the Residents further away from the fire and smoke. Then if necessary, evacuating to an external area; this process is known as progressive evacuation.
Progressive evacuation is unique to Care Homes, it is imperative that Staff are trained on these principles and that they remain in the building to assist with an evacuation, rather than leave the building, as would be the case for most other building types.
All staff should receive Fire Warden Training as they will in some capacity, assist in the evacuation of residents in the event of a fire. It is imperative that Staff members who work nightshifts also receive fire training, they can often be overlooked, but it’s particularly important because staffing levels tend to be at their lowest at night.
Frequency of Fire Warden Training
The frequency of Fire Warden Training will depend on the type of building and the nature of the occupants. In Care Homes for example, specific Fire Warden Training should form part of a staff members induction training, with further refresher training every 6 months; as recommended by London Fire Brigade.
Need Help?
If you require a Fire Evacuation Strategy or need Fire Warden Training, then please call us today on 01332 668877 or email us at [email protected]
