Healthcare Health and Safety Level 2 (VTQ)

57 videos, 2 hours and 32 minutes

Course Content

Fire Warden and Fire Marshals

Video 35 of 57
5 min 5 sec
English
English
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We are now going to look at the role of the fire warden and the fire marshal. Every single business would follow the rules and regulation within the regulatory fire reform order. And what this would do is they would have a designated person who would be the fire warden, and their job within the business is to assist the responsible person within the company to make sure that the building is safe from any possible risk of fire. And the fire marshal tends to be somebody who would assist again. The fire warden cannot be in all places, at one time with an evacuation. So you would have designated fire marshals in different areas of the building, pretty much like you would maybe a first aider within different areas. So the fire warden is the sort of main person, the fire marshal then assists in an event of an evacuation.

Now, if we look at both of these roles together. The fire warden, within their main checks, they're not just looking at the time of when the fire is actually occurring. They're also checking on a daily basis to make sure that fire doors are not propped open. Make sure they are functioning correctly, make sure that the fire escape routes are clear, make sure the alarm systems work, working with a responsible person to make sure that evacuation plans are going to work correctly, and also scheduling the test of the drills and test evacuations.

They will also look through and make sure the fire extinguishers are okay, they are in the right position, there is nothing wrong with those extinguishers where they are there, no one has been tampering with the pins or move them, or maybe they are dirty and then the cleaning. They will also review any other policies. So they will look at the possible risks that are there. So they will go through and check off what possible dangers there are within the working environment to see if maybe something new has happened. Maybe they just had a new delivery of stuff, and this has been left in there which potentially could be a source of ignition. They will also work closely with the fire marshal to make sure that everyone has got the correct training so that everyone knows what to do in the event of an evacuation; they know what to do and how to report any potential problems that could have arisen in a workplace.

As a fire warden or a fire marshal, you should always think about the possible risks of the fire. So if you notice some cables running across an exit way, then you need to report that. Because if there was a fire would that cause or trip hazard, or maybe there was a problem with the fire doors. You need to make sure you always think about what possibly could happen.

When an actual fire does occur or when there is an evacuation of the building, this is where the role of the fire marshal and fire warden come into their main... It may well be that the fire warden is off-site or elsewhere. If that is the case, then they would need to manage it from outside and rely on the fire marshals in different areas, to ensure the building has been evacuated. As a fire marshal, whether it is a test or a real fire, you need to make sure that everyone has left your sector by the correct route, as quickly as possible. You want to make sure that they are leaving their handbags, but a lot of this is training. So maybe in the induction training, people would know that when there is a fire drill or a fire for real, then they would leave their personal belongings behind and make for the first available nearest exit.

As a fire marshal, you want to make sure the doors and windows are closed. If there is anything within the building, you need to report, then report that to a fire warden or the fire service, when they arrive. Evacuate the building and then move to the fire assembly point. Keep people together so that you can track and you know that everyone from that sector is there. Then you just take the advice of the fire wardens, the company, or the fire service; do not go back into the building until you have been told it is safe to do so. As a fire warden or a fire marshal, different companies have different policies. You need to make sure you know exactly what is expected of you. If you have got any questions you need to ask your employer. If there is any problems there at all talk about it before you need to know for real.

You may, in some cases, be provided with a fire kit. Now, we look at this in a separate video, but this fire kit would have a high-vis jacket that you wear just so people can see that you are a fire warden or a fire marshal. And there are lots of other things in there, from air horns to whistles to torches, just in case you need them. These would be put somewhere that you can access them very easily in the event of any emergency.

One other important role of the fire warden is safety briefings. Now, this can be with people who have been in the company for a while or new members of staff. So you might be called on when new members of staff come in to give them a briefing on the fire precautions for the particular building you are in or the workplace. These sort of briefings can be who the people are, so who the fire wardens would be, where to actually see these people, so looking at the signs that actually specify who is a fire warden or fire marshal, the equipment that I like to use, how to raise the alarm, what to do in the event of alarm, how to find the exit you are going to be following, what to do as you leave; so you are talking about leaving equipment behind, personal belongings, making sure doors are shut, reporting any problems, and also things like the fire assembly points. At some point, these new members of staff will be involved in a full-blown evacuation of the building, and they need to know what to do.

So part of the role as a fire warden can be educational. Start to think a lot about how the best way of transferring information across the people. Make sure it is factual. Make sure you do it in an easy to understand format for people. And always be open; if they have got questions, let them ask them to you. It is far better to answer their questions now, in a training environment, than it is when the fire breaks out for real.