The Importance of Fire Safety Training

If you own, manage or control a commercial property, you are required by law to protect everyone who lives in, works within or visits your building from the threat of fire as far as is possible. This involves assessing the risks and specific hazards present within your environment and then installing appropriate fire safety measures accordingly, including equipment such as fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers and emergency lighting.

However, it’s important that you don’t stop there. Instead, it is hugely beneficial to provide professional fire safety training for your staff, or chosen designated employees, ensuring that they have the knowledge to respond safely and effectively in the event of a fire.

What is fire safety training?

If a fire breaks out in your workplace, the highest priority is to get everybody out of the building as quickly, efficiently and carefully as possible. However, no matter how many times people have been informed of the evacuation procedures and methods of fire protection and combat, the sound of a fire alarm can cause chaos and all sense of cognitive, reasonable action can be forgotten.

This is usually put down to the fact that an emergency situation elicits unknown feelings and reactions that are stressful, intense and require an immediate response. However, fire safety experts believe that training, knowledge and practical experience can cause behaviour to be modified, preparing people for how to deal with a fire, and they suggest that this will lead to the best chance of a safe and methodical evacuation being conducted.

Therefore, safety training courses have been developed to arm your employees, or selected members of your team, with the necessary knowledge and technical ability should a fire ever occur.

What do the courses include?

Most fire safety courses offer a mix of classroom-based learning and practical training experience, educating attendees on how to respond in the event of an emergency, how to use fire protection equipment (such as fire extinguishers), how different types of fire can start and the best ways to combat these fires.

The programmes take pupils through the subject of fire on a step by step basis, from initial basic knowledge on the ways fire develops, and what can accelerate it, to more advanced modes of protection, including what type of fire equipment should be applied to varying kinds of fire. They also include training on evacuation procedures and attendees will be tutored on how to best gauge the safest exits, how to help vulnerable individuals out of the building and how to best cope with the fear and panic associated with an emergency.

What types of fire safety training courses are available?

There are many types of fire safety training courses available – from Basic Fire Safety Awareness Training to Fire Warden Training.

Basic Fire Safety Awareness training is developed to equip you with all the basic skills and knowledge required in the event of a fire, such as what to do if you discover a fire, locating and using extinguishers and evacuation routes, and the best way to deal with vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly and disabled.

Fire Warden Training covers all the aspects of Basic Fire Safety Awareness, but additionally deals with undertaking the role of Fire Warden within your environment. Therefore, they will learn about the responsibilities and duties associated with the role and will receive practical knowledge about undertaking efficient and orderly evacuations.

Depending on your environment, your purposes and what you aim to achieve from the fire safety course, different courses will suit different companies. Fire safety experts, such as the team down at Scutum Group, can assist you in choosing the perfect training course for your requirements and offer all the specialist advice you need when choosing your course criteria.

How Scutum London can help train your team

Scutum London offers both Basic Fire Safety Awareness Training and Fire Warden Training, with comprehensive courses tailored to your unique requirements and desired outcome. Carried out on or off site, all of our courses are entirely flexible and can be conducted at agreed locations and convenient times.

To protect your employees and ensure that your staff are fully aware of the risks of fire and the best and safest ways to deal with it, get in touch with the professionals at Scutum London today.