Organisation's budgets are always tight, especially when it comes to extra training for staff, it's hard to know where, when and why to invest in certain areas. Fire is quite obviously a dangerous element and should your staff be unprepared, it can have one of the most devastating effects on your workplace and employees.
1 – Lots of organisations test their fire alarms on a regular basis, both as a fire alarm test and as a firm drill to ensure the building can act quick enough in an emergency. If you run regular fire drills, but all of your employees are a bit slow to get out of the building, it might be time to invest in a Fire Marshal. A qualified Fire Marshal will help rally the troops to get them out the door and to safety during a fire drill and the real deal.
2 – If you have lots of old kitchen appliances that like to act up in the office now and then, or even just one silly employee who thinks it's a good idea to get his bread out of the toaster with a fork, then it may be an idea to get everyone prepared with some fire safety training. In-House training can train all your employees at one time, making sure they are all aware of what hazards to look out for and how to tackle small hazards should the need arise.
3 – If you have a large or small office with a mixture of electrical equipment, product stock, stationery, then you may also have a variety of different fire extinguishers... Given enough time to read the labels and think things through, anyone will be able to work out what Fire Extinguisher to use in what situation. Unfortunately in a situation that we will need to use a fire extinguisher, it's unlikely we will have the time to read the labels in full, so it will be best to get some Fire Safety training in place for your staff, or at least those who are sat next to a fire extinguisher. After all, you don't want a member of staff grabbing a water extinguisher to put out an electrical fire...
4 – If you work in a business that works with highly flammable materials or products then you will want to strongly consider getting your staff educated in fire safety. Training your staff in a hazardous environment can prove invaluable as you can teach your staff where to look for danger and how best to prevent it.
5 – Last but not least, if your workplace has a history of fires, even if it's just one previous fire, you should definitely invest in some Fire Safety training for your employees. This will both protect your employees should another fire occur and help to protect your business, both because your employees will be able to react quicker and may be able to control the fire (or prevent it in the first place) and because you will be complying with fire safety legislation.
Remember that all the training in the world doesn't counteract the need to call '999' when appropriate. It's always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to handling a dangerous situation where fire is involved.