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The Key Fire Safety Points Your Staff Should be Trained On

28th July 2022

By law, a business should have several employees trained in fire safety procedures. This training allows an employee to become the designated Fire Warden. This person should have a clear knowledge basis of the duties and responsibilities that are involved with being a Fire Warden. This should include an understanding of what actions should be taken in an event of a fire, and/or discovering the fire, the evacuation protocol, and understanding of the different types of fire classes and which extinguisher to use for the different fires.

The Fire Triangle 

To ignite a fire, it needs three components: oxygen, fuel, and heat. By extinguishing a fire, it will remove one of these elements. 

For Example: 

Covering the fire with a blanket → removes the oxygen supply → leading to the fire being put out.

Types of Fires

As a part of being the Fire Warden, you have to have an understanding of what types of fires there are:

  1. Class A - this involves solid materials - wood, paper, rubber, and cloth
  2. Class B - this involves a flammable or combustible liquid - petrol, paint, and oil
  3. Class C - this includes flammable gases - propane, methane, and butane
  4. Class D - this includes flammable metals - titanium, potassium, and titanium
  5. Class F - this includes cooking oils or fats

What Fire Extinguisher For What Fire?

Red - Water - this is suitable for class A fires, which involves solid materials.

Cream - Foam - this is suitable for class A and B fires, which involves solid materials and combustible liquids.

Blue - Powder - this is suitable for class B, C, D, and F fires, which includes liquids, gases, oils, chemicals, and electrical hazards.

Black - CO2 - this is suitable for class B and D fires, which involves electricals and flammable liquids.

Yellow - Wet Chemicals - this is only suitable for Class F fires, which involves cooking oils and fats.

How Do You Use a Fire Extinguisher?

  1. Pull the pin out of the extinguisher. 
  2. Hold the extinguisher steady, and aim at the base of the fire.
  3. Squeeze the extinguisher bar slowly.
  4. Stay at a safe distance, while moving the nozzle from side to side, as the flames decrease, move closer until the fire is out.

The Disability Equality Duty

As a Fire Warden, you would need to be aware of the people that have disabilities, and supply them with an evacuation plan that takes into account their disability. You will need to be aware they will need additional support evacuating, allowing them extra time and ensuring there is no discrimination. 

Within this blog, there has been important training information. Yet, reading this blog is not enough for the Fire Warden to read, official training is still required to guarantee full knowledge within this area, to become a qualified Fire Warden. 

 

Here at Fire Stoppers, we supply the training to keep your appointed Fire Warden up to date. Further allowing them to then volunteer to have the additional responsibility of becoming the company's Fire Warden. If you are interested, contact us today.