Fire Marshal Training And It's Positive Effect On Your Business

How secure is your place of business against the insidious threat of fire? Fire poses an enormous risk both to your property and also to your employees. Ensuring that you protect lives and property begins by having a Fire Risk Assessment completed and recorded. However, it does not end there. Your business will likely require a fire warden and/or fire marshal.

A fire marshal can take the place of a fire warden in all instances, but in the case that your business has more than one warden, a fire marshal will oversee all of these individuals. A fire marshal has many different responsibilities, many of them similar or identical to those of a fire warden.

For instance, a fire marshal has several principal responsibilities when a fire is not an imminent threat. The marshal needs to ensure that all fire escape routes are clear of debris and easily accessible to all people on the property, including disabled persons. The marshal should also conduct regular inspections of the property to search for potential fire hazards. Any hazards or areas of concern should be recorded and then remedied, with the remedying action being noted in the final report. If a fire were to break out, then the fire marshal has other duties. First, the fire marshal needs to ensure that the alarm has been sounded and that all employees are aware of the current threat.

The marshal must also make certain that all business process have been secured or terminated. All visitors, vendors and other people unfamiliar with the premises must be evacuated as quickly and orderly as possible, as well.

In addition, it is the marshal's responsibility to make sure that all disabled persons are safely evacuated from the building and/or property. Reporting the fire, details of the size, scope and location of the fire to the property authorities is also something that the fire marshal must do. The marshal should also conduct roll call at the designated assembly point, or appoint a fire warden to do so if the marshal is engaged in fighting the fire.

As you can see, the fire marshal is a very important individual for your business. Ensuring that you have at least one fully trained fire marshal not only makes good common sense, but is the best investment you can make toward protecting your employees and your business from the ravages of fire.