In a recent survey of approximately 119 businesses, only 35% said they had any form of evacuation plan laid down in the event of a fire. Not only is that unsafe for staff in the building, it says a lot about the lack of discipline the contemporary workplace puts on fire safety and preparedness.
Fire extinguisher training should be an essential part of any workplace safety plan. If you’re not sure where to begin, here are four tips for holding a fire extinguisher training session.
Simulate Different Types of Fire
In the workplace, there are dozens of opportunities for a fire to spring up. Restaurants and hospitals are at an especially high risk for various types of fire, but that doesn’t mean an office building shouldn’t be prepared for a kitchen fire.
Consider Digital Simulators
In some areas, it’s not possible to have live burns on site, but digital simulators can still be a great tool. By using this method in conjunction with a fire protection company you can simulate a situation in which a fire sprinkler system isn’t working and there’s a trash bin fire, whereas you couldn’t safely do that in reality.
Use Different Sizes of Extinguishers
Having employees use different sizes of fire extinguishers is a great way to help them learn the limits and reaches of the extinguishers present in your building. In a hospital, for instance, where electrical failure accounts for 19% of unconfined fires, a small extinguisher won’t be of much use.
Teach Employees to Check Pressure Gauges
If a fire extinguisher isn’t fully charged, it’s not going to be able to put out a fire well. It’s incredibly important to teach employees how to check the pressure, because if they don’t and they’re already close to a fire, their safety could be at risk.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has no record of a fire killing more than two people in a building equipped with a fully operational commercial fire sprinkler system, but that in no way diminishes the importance of fire extinguisher training.
These four tips and information from your local fire protection company could make all the difference in the event of a fire.
