Word Count: 586 Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008 8:54 AM
An Insight In to Fire Extinguisher Training
Sitting there in the corner of the room, the two red dusty tanks have simply become just part of the office furniture. While their presence is a legal requirement within the work place, they have never actually seen any action and rarely receive any visitors. Sure, we all recognise them; we all know we need to use them to distinguish flames but when lives are at risk, how confident would we actually be in our ability to take charge of a fire extinguisher and put out the flames? With increasing numbers of employees signing up to Fire Extinguisher training around the UK, it suggests not all of us are as confident as we'd like to think and that fire safety in the work place is a growing priority.
Using a fire extinguisher is a specific skill and unless you have previous experience, does require some training. Spending an hour or two on a fire extinguisher training course will teach you exactly how to manage the equipment and how to use it to dispel a fire at work.
Most fire extinguisher training courses will be divided into a theoretical session and a practical session. Throughout the training, you will be taught how to identify the different types of fire extinguishers by colour, the correct application and an extinguishers capabilities and limitations. There comes a stage when a fire breaks out that an extinguisher will no longer be sufficient and you will need to call for further help of the fire services.
You will be taught how to recognise this point and when to make that call. Many calls to the fire services could easily be avoided if only more people understood how to use an extinguisher correctly.
Understanding the theory behind combustion, what causes fire to spread and different types and causes of fire will be essential for understanding how to tackle the burning flames.
While we all learnt about the fire triangle at school, those days can be challenging to the memory as we get older and fire extinguisher training will refresh this theory for you. The hypothetical triangle explains the different elements that come together to create a fire; oxygen, heat and fuel. To extinguish a fire, you need to remove one of these elements. Fire prevention is all based upon keeping these elements separate.
Once you have completed the theoretical part of the training, you will move on to the practical, where you will be given demonstrations of how to use the equipment. It's important to recognise how and why to use different fire extinguishers on different types of fire. For example, a water extinguisher would be suitable to use in the outbreak of a waste bin fire, whereas a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher would be more suitable to use on a computer fire.
Upon completion of the course, trainees will be supplied with a certificate, officially recognising their skills, which they are then free to pass on to other employees back in the work place.
Obviously it's not financially or practically possible to send all employees of your company on a fire extinguisher training course, however depending on the size of your organisation, you may just need to enrol a couple of fire safety representatives.
By ensuring at least a few dedicated members of your team are educated in fire safety, you stand a better chance of protection should the worse happen on your premises.
About the Author
Dominic Donaldson is an expert in Fire Services
Find out more about Fire Extinguisher Training and why it could help save lives by enrolling on a course.
Rate, comment or bookmark this article
Comments 
No comments posted.
Add Comment
Popular Articles in this cathegory
1: Characteristics of The Perfect Fake Doctor's Note Template2: The Secret Adult Industry Of Singapore
3: How Students Use Fake Doctor's Notes For School
4: Famous Bridal Gowns in Movies
5: Labor Day Fun Facts And Stats
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

