Hello Any ideas on what the time scales are for practical fire extinguisher training for fire marshalls are? Any comments greatly appreciated!

Hi My Company's insurance Co. is suggesting practical training once a year now SW

I am pretty sure our fire marshal course carries a three year validity... As stated it's a risk based decision.. Some crazy folk now suggests you don't train anyone as fire extinguishers are there for show and to look pretty. It is true that when used incorrectly things can get worse, but when used properly, after alarm sounded etc etc....

We have set the periodicity for retraining at two years on the advice on the training provider

On our site every employee (Including Fire Marshals) has fire awareness training once a year ie identification, selection and operation of hand held fire extinguishers and a description of the fire suppression systems on site. Fire marshalls receive an additional annual briefing reinforcing and reminding them of thier specific priority during a real fire event or a drill, which is to ensure that the building is evacuated quickly and safely.

Personally I believe its right to train all employees in the basics of fire extinguishers, but retain the policy of no employees fighting fires. We want to ensure that if a fire blocks the escape of an employee, they are able to tackle it to get out to a place of safety.

Hi Bob, I completely agree with you regarding the requirement to ensure clear escape routes etc etc. I do however have less confidence that requirement is consistantly met, and have seen this first hand. IMO, employees should not be fighting fires, and raising the alarm and getting to a place of safety should always be the priority.

Hi Bob/Guru et al Under what circumstances would a fire exit be blocked?  Let's not forget that the door to a room with only one door is also the fire exit from that room, it can be a meeting room a store room or any other type of room. I can foresee many circumstances when these doors might become obstructed by fire, it is why larger rooms are required to have more than one exit, specifically because it is recognised that one exit might be obstructed. I'm not quite sure how you expect  the fire authorities to deal with and prosecute, they don't have the manpower to get around and inspect every workplace. In fact the law places the onus upon the owner/occupier to police. It seems contradictory to me to say that fire extinguishers are a thing of the past and then go on to say they are only useful for fighting small fires and that they are decoration. Are they decoration? If so why say they are useful for fighting small fires (as they were intended)? If they are useful then how are they a thing of the past? Fire extinguishers are required. To say they are not is utter nonsense. Your suggestion to evacuate a building and leave the firefighting to the professionals is not a common sense approach. This implies that for even the smallest fires you would do nothing about it. You would let it grow, with the potential risk of endangering the lives of those who have not been able to evacuate in time, with the added consequence that firefighters may also have to put themselves at risk to save the lives of those who have been unable to escape. Lives have been saved through the use of extinguishers by employees, so have people's jobs and livelihoods. Of course there are circumstances where it is not practical to tackle a fire and evacuation is the correct action but this is why we provide training so that people understand what to do and when to do it.

Back to the question....in my previous life (not reincarnated although I'm sure some wanted me burned...) 2 years for all employees unless covered by other certification including practical fire fighting...Fire Marshals should be part of 6 monthly evacuation and then same refresher..

sorry mean Fire marshals on 2 years...not 6 monthly...they would get the practice every 6 months with refresher training every 2 years...it is up to you based on your risks..