Fire safety training emphasizes the need for a quick and disciplined response from individuals when a fire has been discovered.
What is fire training ?
Fire safety training entails fire prevention, reducing the risk of injury or life loss, and the right procedure to follow in case of a fire outbreak.
All staff should attend the fire training that is repeated annually, however, the staff involved in direct patient care will have to be trained more than once a year.
Employees knowing how to operate fire equipment like fire extinguishers , fire balls etc would help prevent fire from spreading and getting out of control. It aids in decision-making on when to tackle the fire or when to evacuate.
It needs to be regularly done to keep everyone up to date and safe. This is to remind them in case they forget what they were taught.
New members / New employees should also be trained to ensure that everyone knows what to do in case of a fire outbreak. This training should be in per the Fire Safety Training Needs Analysis
Why is fire safety training important?
The importance of safety training cannot be finished in a day and failure to undertake the training is costly. Let’s check out the importance of fire training importance.
1. Fire risk assessment
Despite fire risk assessment being required by law, it’s important as it’s a review undertaken of a building to assess the fire risks and offer recommendations to make the building safer.
The risk assessment review should include training every 12 months after the original assessment, every 5 years after a new assessment is to be conducted, whether the building purpose has changed, whether the building structure has changed, and if there has been a change in its occupants.
A fire safety risk assessment identifies
- The emergency routes and exits in the building
- The evacuation plan in case of a fire outbreak
- The fire fighting equipment available in the building
- The fire detection and warning systems
- Staff fire safety training
- The building’s layout and use
- The nature and number of occupants in it
- General housekeeping and key areas being kept clear of any combustible materials
Understand the fire hazards
Fire can do more harm in its occurrence hence avoiding it should be the first step. Fire can be easily started when heat comes into contact with flammable materials or due to carelessness.
The management should first identify the kind of fire that is likely to occur and what is likely to start it. This will make all the employees more cautious of their surroundings.
To reduce business liability
There is a chance of fire breaking out at the workplace which would cost the business itself and the employees.
Fire training safety would help workers know how to evacuate the premises and how to use fire equipment to tackle fires.
This training ensures that the company experiences minimal fire property loss and financial crisis as the workers can handle these situations.
Property loss would discontinue the business operations and might lead to its closure or added expenses in replacing them.
Regulatory compliance
Fire training is a statutory requirement that all employers ensure that all staff is provided with training on fire safety measures to the risks identified.
It states that fire safety procedures are subject to staff knowing how to act in case of a fire emergency and the senior management should lead by example.
In which case, if a company has not done so might face legal implications like being fined. These laws make a point that prevention is the first step against fire cases. This regulation covers maintenance, installation, design, and general fire safety guidance.
To save lives
Fire is extremely dangerous and can claim lives.
Fire safety training equips the workers with knowledge of how to react in case there is a fire. They take note of the emergency exits to use, how to use the fire extinguishing equipment and how to read the fire safety signs.
Workers happen to be on the safe side in case there is fire as they know how to respond to the situation.
The employees must learn about the mistakes that they should avoid like panicking to avoid worsening the situation. Doing this ensures that everyone’s safety comes first.
To create awareness
Fire safety training educates on how to tackle a fire hazard. It creates awareness of factors that might cause a fire outbreak in the first place. The workers become more careful in matters that might start a fire.
It also trains on how to tackle fires preventing small fires from getting out of hand.
This training also engages the employee on changes that have happened in the building and in case new fire equipment’s have been added and how to use them. This is to ensure that they are UpToDate and also act as a reminder.
Fire response
Fire drills help employees put into practice what they have been trained in. Mistakes identified that can be rectified to avoid them happening in real situations.
From the emergency exits to using the fire equipment, fire assembly points should be common knowledge to the employees. The employees can even put out small fires before they destroy the property or the people are injured.
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Conclusion
Lastly, fire safety training is a step to ensure that the property is safe and those residing on it are. For regulatory compliance and safety purposes, ensure that its carried out in your company. These skills come in handy in case of fire outbreaks.
Contact our professionals at info@safetyhub.co.ke to purchase fire equipment and also get advice on how the training should be done.
