Everyone knows that fire can cause injuries, loss of property and sometimes result in death. If it manages to engulf the workplace, many employees could be out of work for a long time as repairs take place or lose their jobs as the buildings may not be repaired at all. At the top of the priorities of preventing such a calamity from happening either at home or at the workplace is to make sure everyone has sufficient fire safety training. The skills obtained from this training are useful for quick and efficient response in case of a fire outbreak. It can also help in eliminating fire hazards. On the contrary, lack of proper fire safety training can make even the smallest incident a much more devastating incident. Here are a few reasons why fire safety training is vital:
1. Recognizing when a fire hazard is lurking
While taking part in fire safety training, you are first informed of the basics of what fire is and its basic properties. Fire requires an oxidizing agent (usually oxygen), a source of ignition (heat) and anything that can catch fire (fuel) in order to start burning. Since the initial phase of a fire breakout requires that a fuel is in contact with a fire source, the goal is to ensure the two are prevented from possibly being in contact.
2. Having the ability to conduct a fire safety risk assessment
Fire safety risk assessments at the workplace or at home are important for finding out the course of action to take to help prevent incidences of fire. This helps in keeping employees and family members safer. When conducting this assessment, the following are taken into consideration:
• Equipment for basic firefighting
• Emergency exits and routes to safety
• Fire safety training of the staff
• Fire warning and detection systems
• Communication with all the occupants of the premise
• Safe storage and removal of dangerous items
• Looking out for the needs of those who are more vulnerable
• Having an evacuation plan in case of an emergency fire
In order to identify fire hazards, the fire safety risk assessment serves as the very first step. It helps in the identification of emergency preparedness, effective controls, and the people at risk. The information obtained from the fire safety risk assessment help in eliminating or at least help reducing risks and improving safety plans.
3. Prevention of fires
With fire safety training, you can prevent fires at the workplace or at home. The knowledge of the best ways to of preventing fires is very important for ensuring that people stay safe and are not at risk of getting caught in a bad situation. There are numerous ways in which fires can be prevented from occurring. These may include keeping the workplace or home clean, safe storage and use of chemicals, providing open access to the control panels of electricity etc.
4. Responding to a fire outbreak
Everyone should always be prepared for a fire at all times. With fire safety training, you’ll know what to do in case of a fire and how to join up with others to prevent the spread and advancement of the fire. What you can gain from the training include learning emergency plan, your role in the plan, activating the fire alarm, and how to use a portable fire extinguisher.
Conclusion
In order to keep yourself and the people around you safe, you need to have the knowledge required for preventing and fighting the fire. Having fire safety training is an important source of this knowledge. This training also helps you know how to use fire-fighting equipment such as fire extinguishers to put out a fire. So, whether you are employed or not, it is extremely vital that you get this training. At Northants fire we provide professional, thorough Fire Risk Assessments followed up by concise Fire Safety training to ensure your workplace is ready & as prepared as possible should a fire break out.
