09 November 2007
Dave Lewis

The actions of staff in the event of a fire are likely to be crucial to their safety and the safety of other people in the premises, so all staff must receive basic fire safety induction training and attend intermittent refresher sessions.

This fire safety training should take account of the findings of your fire risk assessment and be easily understood by all those attending. Employers must tell staff and contractors about the emergency plan, show them the escape routes, and make sure they are familiar with the fire alarm.

In larger, more complex buildings, there may be a requirement for staff to take on the role of fire marshals (often called fire wardens) and this requires more comprehensive fire safety training.

Support service

There's no hard and fast rule about the number of fire marshals required for a given floor area, number of storeys, business or activity; this will vary from one company to another. Guidance only suggests that it is appropriate to train sufficient persons to ensure all staff and members of the public can be safely evacuated and everyone is accounted for in the event of a fire.
To achieve this, and protect your business and assets, you may require marshals to:

• help members of the public, visitors and/or disabled persons leave the premises
• check designated areas to make sure everyone has left
• use firefighting equipment if it is safe to do so
• call out the fire and rescue service and liaise with them on their arrival
• shut down vital or dangerous equipment
• perform a supervisory/management role in any fire situation
• carry out routine fire safety checks in and around the premises as part of their normal duties.

The role of the fire marshal does not replace the need to summon the fire service in an emergency, and they should even be called to establish the cause of a minor fire your fire marshals have dealt with.

Pre-planning, accompanied by appropriate training, is essential. This must be supported by a fire safety exercise which includes a full evacuation of the premises, calling the fire service, search and clearance of all buildings, simulated firefighting, roll call, and meeting and briefing the fire service.

This exercise will help you work out the number of fire marshals you need - allowing for staff turnover and holiday and sickness absence.

Role rehearsal

Fire marshals should be trained on appointment and receive refresher training as per your fire risk assessment.

There are no specific guidelines about the frequency of refresher training, but a two-yearly cycle may be appropriate.

Training for marshals might cover:

• a detailed explanation of the fire safety strategy
• the chemistry of fire and the impact on people and premises
  human behaviour in fires
• how to encourage others to use the most appropriate escape route
• how to search safely and recognise areas that are unsafe to enter
• the difficulties some people, particularly disabled people, may have in escaping and any special evacuation arrangements that have been pre-planned
• use of firefighting equipment
• the purpose of any fixed firefighting equipment, such as sprinklers or gas flooding systems
• reporting faults, incidents and near misses.

Fire marshals should be identified by means of a high-visibly tabard with the words "fire marshal" and they should be allocated a pre-rehearsed role in the fire emergency plan. This may include clearing a zone within a building, firefighting, roll call for a specific department, and so on.

Well drilled

Once you have developed your emergency plan, you will need to evaluate its effectiveness. The best way to do this is to perform a fire drill. This should be carried out at least annually or as determined by your fire risk assessment; if you have a high staff turnover, you may need to carry out drills more often.
A well-planned and executed fire drill will confirm the training is understood and provide helpful information for future training.

The responsible person should determine the objectives of the drill, which may be to:

• identify any weaknesses in your evacuation strategy
• test the procedure following changes to working practices
• familiarise new members of staff with procedures
• test arrangements for disabled people and/or young persons on work
  experience.

The evacuation should include all occupants except those who need to ensure the security of the premises or people who, on a risk-assessed basis, are required to stay with particular equipment or processes that cannot be closed down.

Dave Lewis is a director of Fire and Risk Management Support Services, www.farmss.co.uk

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