Fire Safety and the Role of the Fire Warden

Training for Fire Wardens

Training for fire wardens should be carried out by professionals so that they can be confident that they are doing the right thing in an emergency. Refresher training should ideally be carried out every 1-2 years and of course if you appoint a new fire warden.

Park City run open training courses for Fire Wardens, or anyone else needing to know about fire safety carried out by our qualified Health & Safety experts.  You will receive full training on the role of a fire warden, the potential hazards and causes of fire, how to reduce risks, how to safely escape from a fire and how to properly use fire extinguishers as well as many other important safety skills. Find out more details and book your place here.

Who is responsible for fire safety?

You’re responsible for fire safety in business or other non-domestic premises if:

• an employer
• the owner
• the landlord
• an occupier
• anyone else with control of the premises, e.g a facilities manager, building manager, managing agent or risk assessor

You’re known as the ‘responsible person’. If there’s more than one responsible person, you have to work together to meet your responsibilities.

What are your responsibilities?

As the responsible person you must:

• carry out a fire risk assessment of the premises and review it regularly. It must be written down if you have five or more employees
• tell staff or their representatives about the risks you’ve identified
• put in place, and maintain, appropriate fire safety measures
• plan for an emergency
• provide staff information, fire safety instruction and training

It is most likely that you will pass the day-to-day duties of fire safety onto a fire warden, but do remember that as an employer, the ultimate responsibility for the welfare of your staff rests with you.

Fire Wardens

The day-to-day duties of an appointed fire warden include:

• monitoring general fire safety within their allocated area and the workplace as a whole
• informing other employees of what to do in an emergency and give a fire safety induction to new employees
• raising awareness about fire hazards in the workplace and give guidance on best practice for a safe working environment
• checking on a regular basis that fire exits are clear – both internally and externally and that fire extinguishers are present and in tact
• running regular tests of fire alarms, emergency lighting and any other relevant equipment
• leading regular fire drills (at least every 6-12 months) and evacuation procedures, ensuring everyone is accounted for including staff and visitors

A fire warden’s emergency and evacuation duties cover:

• calmly directing everyone to leave the building
• checking all accessible areas (such as meeting rooms or toilets) to ensure everyone has evacuated
• closing windows and doors where possible to prevent the fire from spreading
• liaising with the authorities to advise their area is clear, or to report any persons trapped in the building
• keeping an eye on final exit doors to stop anyone re-entering the building

Park City’s Health & Safety consultants can help with all aspects of fire safety in your organisation, from carrying out risk assessments, addressing potential hazards and specialist training for your fire wardens. Contact us today to make yours a safer workplace for everyone.

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