Develop Your Confidence At Fire Extinguisher Training

Every public building or place of work has one, from restaurants to office buildings and doctor's surgeries. Those familiar red metal tanks, full of water, foam and dry powder, sit in the corner of every building, hoping never to be used. However the sad reality is that fire extinguishers are an essential part of health and safety; every work place must have enough to cater for the size of their premises. You may have adhered to the law by fitting the required extinguishers in the required locations however in the event of a fire, would you know exactly what to do with them? If the answer to this question is dubious, book yourself or your colleagues on a fire extinguisher training course and make sure you are fully prepared for the worse.

The triangle of fire teaches us about fires, what causes them and how we can prevent them. This scientific triangle stipulates that if you mix oxygen, with heat and fuel (which can take many forms, such as wood, fabric, rubber, plastic, liquids or gas), you will form a fire. Remove any of these elements and a fire will be prevented.

If these three elements combine and a fire is created, one of the best ways to diffuse it is to use a fire extinguisher. However this action isn't as simple as pointing and shooting at the flames. Different fires require different extinguishers and there is a certain technique needed to ensure the fire is put out as safely and as quickly as possible.

Within every place of work, there should be one or more allocated members of staff who are responsible for fire safety, which includes maintaining emergency fire exits, removing any fire hazards, checking fire alarms and checking fire extinguishers are fully operational. Every employee has the right to be safe when they come to work and therefore fire safety should be a priority.

Fire extinguisher training courses vary depending on who is hosting them however typically, trainees are encouraged to identify situations where a fire extinguisher should be used and the purposes of the different extinguishers for different fires, from class A through to class F. While it's always better to be safer rather than sorry, calls to the fire services could certainly be reduced if more people were aware of the basic requirements for dealing with a small, controlled fire.

Attendees will learn to identify key areas within their business premises that require extinguishers as well as covering the different fire drill policies. Fire risks in the workplace will be identified and the role of the fire safety wardens will be highlighted.

Many fire extinguisher training courses will also focus on the science behind combustion, what causes fire to spread, the different types of fire and common causes. Learning how to use a fire extinguisher (in controlled environments) is obviously a key part of the training on all courses. It's worthwhile having a practice run so that in the event of you having to use one for real, you will know what to do.

Upon completion of the course, trainees will be supplied with a certificate, officially recognising their skills.

Whether you have allocated employees to take charge of fire safety in the workplace or have taken on the responsibility yourself, it's essential to be confident when using an extinguisher. Fire extinguisher training will help you develop this confidence and help you to ensure the safety of both your colleagues and yourself.

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Comments

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 at 9:40 PM, by addison
Fire safety is everyone's responsibility, and service members should act and keep an eye out accordingly. The details given here are quite interesting and am happy to receive knowledge related to this.

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