Fires are a genuine and dangerous threat to workplaces. While industrial and manufacturing facilities see higher rates of workplace fires, any building can experience a fire. The best way to keep all of your employees safe is to provide them with workplace fire safety training. The best type of fire protection is fire prevention. If your employees know how to identify possible fire hazards, practice regular and efficient fire prevention practices, and are able to respond quickly in the event of a fire, you can guarantee a greater level of safety for your team. Read on for the four basics of workplace fire safety training!
Recognizing Fire Hazards
The most important component of all is teaching your employees how to identify possible fire hazards. All fires need three things:
- Heat: a source of ignition
- Oxygen: what sustains your fire
- Fuel: anything that is combustible or flammable.
When all of these things are present, a fire can start and burn. Separating heat, fuel and oxygen is the best way to prevent a fire from starting Since oxygen is always present, keeping fuel away from heat sources is critical. If employees can recognize and understand this, they can prevent a fire from starting.
What to Do if There’s a Fire in the Workplace
Another important consideration is training employees what to do if there is a fire. Employees should be educated on the workplace chain of communication and taught how to activate their fire alarm and fire suppression systems. Unless otherwise instructed they should activate the fire alarm system and call 911. Properly designed and installed fire alarm systems are easy to activate and monitored by third-party central stations.
Responding Properly to a Fire
Other than initiating the fire alarm system and calling 911, how else should employees respond when there is a fire? Each workplace has different response protocols, procedures, and evacuation plans. Your workplace fire safety training should cover this and more including:
- Each worker’s role in the plan
- How to exit the building
- How and why to close each door
- Where to meet outside the building
- What to do if they encounter any smoke or heat when exiting
Using Fire Extinguishers
The final component of workplace fire safety training is the proper education, training, and use of fire extinguishers. It is essential for all employees to know how to use fire extinguishers properly and effectively. Consider professional live fire extinguisher training from a fire protection company, like Fireline, for the right education.
Fire Protection Services from Fireline
Whether you need smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or an automatic sprinkler system installed at your commercial property, Fireline has you covered. We have been protecting people and property from fire damage since 1947—and this experience shows in our excellent work! We are known for our superb customer service, fire protection expertise, and reliability. For more information on how we can help your residential or commercial property, visit us online or give us a call at (800) 553-3405. We are located in Baltimore, MD, with a second office in Leesburg, VA. For more fire safety tips, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.