Considerations for staff fire safety training

Article 21 of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) states that the Responsible Person must ensure that all their employees are provided with adequate safety training. It is a legal requirement that training must be provided from the time the employee is first employed and subsequently if they are exposed to a new or increased risk. The training must also be:

  • suitable and sufficient instruction on the appropriate precautions and actions to be taken by the employee in order to safeguard themselves and other relevant people on the premises
  • repeated periodically where appropriate
  • adapted to take into account any new or changed risks
  • provided in a manner appropriate to the risks identified by the risk assessment
  • delivered during work hours.

Providing adequate staff fire safety training

In 2020, as part of the ‘Building a Safer Future consultation’, the Government published the results of the Call for Evidence relating to the FSO. A total of 51 questions were asked to a wide range of stakeholders and sectors with an interest in fire safety and a large proportion of their responses went on to form the basis of the Building Safety Act 2022.

With specific reference to training, many respondents commented that the term ‘adequate’ should be explicitly defined in the legislation and that evidence of poor practice continued to exist due to the lack of that definition. Elsewhere in the document, respondents believed that fire safety training should not be limited to online teaching but include situational and practical exercises that were tailored to the premises. This poses some interesting questions regarding the appropriate medium for employee training.

Another issue highlighted by the Call for Evidence was that the quality of fire safety training varied greatly depending on the size of the business. Employees in larger organisations were said to be better equipped to fulfil their employee fire safety duties than those in smaller organisations, largely due to the differences in financial capacity and infrastructure. But how do organisations of any size ensure the quality and adequacy of their fire safety training in order to comply with the requirements of the FSO?

Scenario

A medium sized company decide to train key members of their staff on the use of fire extinguishers in the building they occupy in the event of a fire emergency. Best practice would suggest that those individuals be exposed to some degree of practical training – getting ‘hands on’ with an extinguisher, feeling the weight of it, physically pulling the pin, holding the hose, squeezing the trigger, and so on.

However, would a purely online version of this training where learners would simply watch a video of someone else using a fire extinguisher before being quizzed on it be considered adequate? Consider also some of the latest trends in training technology, particularly with the use of augmented virtual reality – the extinguisher is not real but the learner is physically going through the motions of how to use it. Unfortunately, the law on what constitutes ‘adequate’ is not particularly helpful in this regard.

Planning fire training for staff

The following needs to be considered when planning what your staff will need from adequate fire safety training:

  1. The fire risk assessment. A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment helps to identify the specific hazards and risks within the workplace. Specific actions for staff fire training should be incorporated, and understanding and communication of those hazards and risks can be addressed through tailoring of content.
  2. Identify who needs training. All staff need fire training, and this will vary depending on their role. As a minimum, all employees will need generic fire safety awareness training to help protect themselves and others. Fire safety awareness training should include topics such as fire prevention, action in the event of a fire, evacuation procedures and escape routes, location of assembly points, and sounding a fire alarm. Some employees will require specific training such as fire wardens or those with specific duties related to firefighting equipment or evacuation.
  3. Ensure the right content. The training must be adapted to the setting, the risk of fire within that setting and the role of all employees.
  4. Engage qualified and competent trainers. Training is most effective when it is delivered by qualified and competent trainers, either internally or externally. It is important that the training course delivery can be adapted to meet the needs of the learners.
  5. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness. Post-delivery, organisations should look to evaluate the effectiveness of any staff training by ensuring all employees can demonstrate adequate knowledge and skills in fire safety. Training should also be repeated periodically and practiced through drills to reinforce and avoid ‘skills fade’.
  6. Adapt, change and refresh where necessary. As per the requirements of the FSO, training should be adapted, changed, and refreshed to take into account any new or altered risks such a changes in processes, changes in personnel, or building layout and use.

Delivering staff fire training

Any trainer (either internal or external) that is appointed by the Responsible Person to deliver fire safety training must be competent as per Article 18 of the FSO. For a trainer, this means that they should have a general knowledge of fire safety, experience of fire safety, and skills in training, presentation, and delivery.

Organisations must be aware of the danger of ‘diluting’ training and best practice which can occur when employees are tasked with ‘teaching’ others what they have learnt. This practice continues from employee to employee until the training is so diluted that it no longer reflects the content of the original course completed by the original employee.

Level 3 Certificate in Fire Safety Training

When considering the competency of your internal trainers, the FPA is pleased to offer its new Level 3 Certificate in Fire Safety Training. Delivered over an interactive four days, this train-the-trainer programme equips you with a Level 3 teaching qualification and the knowledge, skills, and resources to move from delegate to trainer; enabling you to deliver basic fire safety and fire warden training.

Whether delivering mandatory staff induction training in fire safety or supporting your organisation’s fire wardens (marshals) to fulfil their duties, this course supports your training delivery journey and provide Level 3 competencies in Education and Training. You can find out more here.