PRACTICAL USE OF FIRE EXTINGUISHER TRAINING COURSE

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

What would you do if a fire broke out in your place of work? Most would evacuate or grab the nearest fire extinguisher but without knowing how to use it, a fire extinguisher could possibly cause you harm or help the fire spread, if the wrong type is used. Our Fire Extinguisher Training Course gives you all the knowledge you need to know exactly what to do and how to react to a fire. Whether it’s in a hospital, office, garage or anywhere, there are different protocols and tools in place that are suited to the class of fire you may need to respond to. Making sure that your staff are well prepared for a potential emergency is the first step in securing the safety of your building and everyone inside.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Our Fire Extinguisher Training Course consists of a one-hour demonstration and practice course. We start by going over the basic health and safety for the course, including asking questions to gain some knowledge of what the participants already know and if they have any experience handling a fire extinguisher prior to the training. We tell them exactly what to expect during the session and assure the participants that they are safe during the session, making sure they know that we are always in control of the fire so we can stop any accidents from occurring should something happen. It is important that they understand that real fire is being used and if they do not follow procedure, they could end up with an injury. Once we are satisfied that all bases have been covered and everyone is confident and ready to start, we begin the first demonstration.

The course uses four fire extinguishers which are commonly seen in most buildings: water, foam, Co2, and dry powder. We also demonstrate using a fire blanket as this is a good overall method that covers a large range of fires and can help protect people from the flames.

EXTINGUISHERS

Every participant gets an opportunity to try both the water and Co2 extinguishers. This gives them all a good base for how to hold the extinguisher and prevent any injury to themselves or others. Everyone is told how to check the pressure gauge on the extinguisher, remove the pin, how to hold and fire it, and what to do after use so that any fire service professionals or other employees can tell it has been used and may be empty, to prevent the attempted use on another fire. One trainee is asked to volunteer to use the foam extinguisher as well; due to the nature of the foam and device used to shoot the foam at, this can only be done once. We use a different piece of equipment for each extinguisher to help show the trainee’s exactly how and what to use it on.

The only extinguisher type that is not handled by the trainee’s is the dry powder extinguisher as this creates a large amount of dust in the air that could be a risk for those using it. Our engineers typically move some distance away from the course site before demonstrating the dry powder extinguisher. This allows the trainees to get a better understanding of the dry powder and why it is not suitable for use within a confined space.

Before the use of each extinguisher, we explain what type of fire it can be used on, to prevent an extinguisher being used on something it is not suited for, which could lead to injury and the fire spreading further.

FIRE BLANKET

The final stage of the training is showing the staff how to use a fire blanket. In the event of an emergency within the hospital, a fire blanket is one of the most effective methods of attempting to not only smother a fire but also to protect yourself or others as the blanket can withstand, in most cases, 30 minutes of direct fire contact. This gives staff enough time to evacuate safely and prevent them from being harmed by the high temperatures, should they need to protect themselves or others.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER?

At the end of the training, our engineers also talk to staff who work in specific areas of the business such as the ICU in a hospital or anywhere that you may encounter a less common type of extinguisher. These areas have different types of extinguishers in such as water foam, due to the equipment used there. This is not something we demonstrate during the training session, but we do give advice on how to use them as they operate in the same manner as the other extinguishers.

Through this training, we ensure that should an emergency occur, everyone is confident in their ability to handle the use of an extinguisher, or a blanket should a fire occur in a way that is safe for themselves and those around them. We also emphasise to everyone in our final words that if the fire is too large or is unable to be safely extinguished, they should evacuate. After, you receive a certificate confirming that you have completed the course!

For more information on our Fire Extinguisher Training Course contact Total Safe UK.