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Positive Activities for Young People Team Leader, Luton Borough Council
Health and Safety training courses, UK
How often should fire training be conducted?
I was asked by a client's training manager how frequently should we do our fire training. At present we do it every 2 years, is this ok.
At first I thought to reply, that frequency is based on your fire risk assessment, which is true. But then I thought as the training manager she will not have seen the fire risk assessment and that the Company's risk assessment was now dated and unlikely to answer her question.
Many safety practitioners recommend every 3 years. They base this frequency on the statutory requirement for refresher first aid. They argue, that first aid and fire are both emergencies and therefore extrapolate that fire should have the same interval.
I have never felt comfortable with this answer; there are so many different roles to be played when evacuating a building. In public areas, there will be people who have little knowledge of what to do when the alarm sounds, staff working in these areas need to be confident in what they do and be able to lead people to safety. What of the individuals who form part of a person with mobility difficulties personal evacuation plan? These persons may need to rehearse their role monthly. What of the fire wardens, if one was injured using an extinguisher, would I feel confident that attending a course 3 years ago made them competent to use an extinguisher when they have not even touched one since the course?
There is however one piece of guidance that does explain training frequency,British Standards (BS 9999:2008 Code of Practice for Fire Safety inthe design, management and use of buildings). The COP is quite clear on the frequency of suitable fire safety training. In summary the COP requires:
- Fire safety training should form part of the planning; training and monitoring activity.
- Fire safety training should be continuous, commencing with induction training on the first day of appointment of new staffand continuing in the form of regular refresher training.
- Thereafter, staff should receive sufficient training at regular intervals(at least once a year) to make sure that they remain familiar with the fire precautions for the workplace and are reminded of the action to be taken in an emergency.
- Training should be more frequent where there is a high turnover of staff or where there is a high risk of fire.
Any members of staff, who have particular responsibilities in respect of fire safety, including supervisory roles, should receive detailed instruction in their own duties and appropriate refresher training at least once, and preferably twice, in each period of twelve months.
The COP also requires that training is conducted by a competent person.
So tomorrow, when I answer the training manager’s question, I will be advising her that; in addition to reviewing the current induction training she should arrange general fire training at least once per year and that specialist such as fire wardens and those assigned an individual with a PEP, at least twice a year. I shall also tell her that with the Company we will be updating their fire risk assessment and observing a fire drill, subject to the outcome of both I may need to revise my training frequency recommendations.
Anthony Bowmer, January 2012
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