What’s the difference between Fire Awareness and Fire Warden Training?

Fire Awareness Training and Fire Warden Training are both important to the general safety of your workplace; but what’s the difference between the two?

Fire Awareness training is the type of Health & Safety course that is applicable to absolutely everyone within a workplace; irrespective of the industry sector. Under the Fire Safety Order 2005, it is a legal requirement that every member of staff receives some kind of workplace fire safety training. This should include:

• a basic explanation of the risks posed by fire;
• instructions regarding fire signage and;
• what to do in the event of a fire alarm (evacuation and emergency procedures).

Every workplace requires a ‘responsible person’, who is tasked with organising and overseeing the training of their staff, across the entire organisation. In a smaller organisation, this could be the business owner or premises manager; in a larger one, this might be a Health and Safety Manager or Facilities personnel.

Additionally, the HSE recommends that businesses should have one trained Fire Warden (or Fire Marshal) for every five members of staff. The guidance around Fire Warden training depends on a number of site factors, including the number of staff at any given workplace; the complexity of the building in question (number of floors, staircases and assembly points); and the ratio of permanent to part-time personnel. A Fire Warden/Fire Marshal is essentially a person who has undertaken training specific to emergency fire procedures; including how to undertake relevant risk assessments and reporting; what to do in the event of an emergency; and the correct procedures necessary to ensure all staff are evacuated safely.

Fire warden training is generally undertaken by enough staff within a workplace to ensure you always have an adequate number of trained people within a building to ensure the correct preventative (and, if necessary) emergency procedures to keep your workplace safe.