Extinguisher Training Required or Not-required?

[planforfire]

Hello all...
I run a training centre for vunerable adults and would appreciate advice.
Under the RRO fire safety training should be given to staff. I need to know, if a responsible person installs fire extinguishers in a building (that has access to the public), does he/she, by law, need to train staff (or selected staff) in the safe use of those fire extinguishers?
I have asked serving fire-fighters this very question and I keep getting very confusing answers back i.e.
"No you don't, there is no requirement"
"You should train all staff"
"You only need to train selected individual staff according to your EAP"
"You need to show them where they are and explain how to operate them"
I need to stress that the building we use is subject to the RRO and a FRA has been done.

If anyone can put me straight, I would be grateful.
Regards 'planforfire'

[kurnal]

Hi planforfire

I assume that the following gidance document is the one that applies to your care premises- but most are similar.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/151786.pdf

Take a look at page 114, 5,6. This explains the requirement for training. You will see that, where relevant, you should train staff in the appropriate use of fire fighting equipment.

You have a duty to provide first aid fire fighting equipment and to train staff in when and how it should be used and who is to use it.
Your Emergency plan should set out who amongst your staff will be expected and trained to use the equipment. This could be all of your staff, staff in key roles or a few selected fire wardens. In deciding this theres a number of considerations- high risk areas such as kitchens where the right action needs to be taken in a decisive way, or carers who will have their hands full with other duties in an emergency.

All fires start small and if discovered in their incipient stages can be easily and safely dealt with. If somebody has to raise the alarm and leave a very small fire because you have a policy of fire wardens only to use fire extinguishers-eg such as a waste paper bin- it will grow and cause more damage and be a bigger hazard to the building.
So in short
Everybody needs training in the safe use of extinguishers according to their role within your written emergency plan.

The training for some may be as simple as telling them that firefighting can be hazardous and the names of the persons who have been trained to use the equpment.
For others, eg fire wardens, it may be comprehensive training with hands on experience of tackling several live fires.

Consider how many staff you have and their locations in the buiilding.
Consider the hazards associated with the work they do
Consider their specific role in an emergency
Consider how, in writing your emergency plan, you can ensure that a small fire can be discovered and quickly dealt with before it becomes a significant hazard.

Theres no prescriptive answer. Its down to your assessment of risk and your plan.

[nearlythere]

Hello all...
I run a training centre for vunerable adults and would appreciate advice.
Under the RRO fire safety training should be given to staff. I need to know, if a responsible person installs fire extinguishers in a building (that has access to the public), does he/she, by law, need to train staff (or selected staff) in the safe use of those fire extinguishers?
I have asked serving fire-fighters this very question and I keep getting very confusing answers back i.e.
"No you don't, there is no requirement"
"You should train all staff"
"You only need to train selected individual staff according to your EAP"
"You need to show them where they are and explain how to operate them"
I need to stress that the building we use is subject to the RRO and a FRA has been done.

If anyone can put me straight, I would be grateful.
Regards 'planforfire'

In a few words planforfire there is a statutory requirement under The Reg. Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for the employer to ensure that staff are adequately trained in the use of any extinguishers.

[planforfire]

Appreciate the advice. It's obvious that our rather basic Emergency Action/Evacuation plan will have to be re-written. Judging by the answers above, a few key persons will have to be trained practically and everyone else given more structured instructions on what to do when discovering a fire. On the topic of EAP's or EEP's, are there any generic plans out there either gov or otherwise, that can help me develop a more structured plan? If anyone knows of one or a link, again I would be most grateful.
Thanks again.....planforfire.

[Ricardo]

Take a look at the guidance found in Part 1,Step 4.4, in the document that Kurnal refers to above for some more help.