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Home » fire-extinguisher » Fire Extinguisher Training – Are Your Employees Ready to Handle a Fire?
Fire Extinguisher Training – Are Your Employees Ready to Handle a Fire?
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When a fire happens, what will your employees do? Do they know what to do? Add the panic, adrenaline and anxiety involved in fire emergencies to a lack of training and what do you think happens? You’re right – an ineffectively handled fire emergency, an injury or fatality.
Safety Tip
Multi-storied buildings are of special concern. Ensure that everyone is familiar with how to use an escape ladder if necessary.
Dealing effectively with a fire emergency requires subconscious knowledge. Time used to figure out how to use a fire extinguisher is wasted time during a fire emergency – when seconds count. Subconscious knowledge is only attained by repetition and absorption. Each of the five senses needs to be part of the process. One needs to “see, smell, hear and taste” an incipient stage fire and have the opportunity “hands-on” to extinguish the fire using a portable fire extinguisher.
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OSHA requires fire extinguisher training annually as follows:
1910.157(g)
Training and education.
1910.157(g)(1)
Where the employer has provided portable fire extinguishers for employee use in the workplace, the employer shall also provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting.
1910.157(g)(2)
The employer shall provide the education required in paragraph (g)(1) of this section upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.
1910.157(g)(3)
The employer shall provide employees who have been designated to use fire fighting equipment as part of an emergency action plan with training in the use of the appropriate equipment.
1910.157(g)(4)
The employer shall provide the training required in paragraph (g)(3) of this section upon initial assignment to the designated group of employees and at least annually thereafter.
Do you, as an employer, comply? If not, it’s time to get a program started for annual training. The training should include what to do in case of fire, evacuation procedures, a review of classifications of fire and fire extinguisher types, material safety issues related to the use of fire extinguishers, and a hands-on training session. Training using an actual fire is best because the realism does cause adrenaline to flow.
So what does one do in case of fire? First, activate your company’s fire emergency plan by sounding the fire alarm and / or calling 911. Second, assist your co-workers to evacuate the facility. Finally, use a portable fire extinguisher to extinguish a small, contained fire. Remember, a fire extinguisher is not a substitute for the fire department – if the fire is large and spreading – get out immediately.
Only use a fire extinguisher if you’ve been trained to use one, if you have a clear exit or escape route behind you, and if you know what’s burning and your extinguisher is right for that fire.
One item that is rarely taught is how to hold a fire extinguisher. The extinguisher must be held by its bottom handle. The top lever must be free to allow the pin to be removed. The biggest mistake trainees make is to hold the top lever and bottom handle together which locks the pin in place – the extinguisher will not work if you don’t remove the pin.
So, now you’re ready to use the fire extinguisher in four easy steps:
Starting from 8-10 feet from the fire,
Pull the pin.
Aim low at the base of the fire.
Squeeze the handle.
Sweep side to side.
When the fire is out, walk backwards away from the fire. Never turn your back to the fire as it may re-ignite without your knowledge. Observe the fire site or evacuate until the fire department arrives. Never re-enter a building where a fire has occurred until the fire department says it is safe to do so. Once the extinguisher has been used, have it filled immediately by a qualified, licensed service company.
Make sure to inspect fire extinguishers monthly as required by OSHA and NFPA guidelines. Keep your employees trained regarding evacuation and use of fire extinguishers. Pay a professional to conduct your annual fire extinguisher training. Do everything you can to prepare, because when a fire happens…seconds count.
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