Hi All please bear in mind that I am not an H&S professional so answers of one syllable would be helpful. For my sins I have been allocated as a fire marshal but as yet have not been told what this will actually entail. Can anyone please advise if there are any statutory requirements about this? I'm sure that many of you go above and beyond etc but I was just seeing if there is any nitty gritty or is the title effectively meaningless? Thanks Simon

Hi Simon. Along side the above. We also task the fire wardens to monitor their work area- making sure that fire exits & routes are clear, fire extinguishers are in place, call points not covered and there isn't an accumulation of rubbish. I have found that giving them a pro-active role keeps them interested. Hope this helps Andy

Hello Simon Its not a meaningless title if someone dies of a fire, thats an emotional burden that you need to prepare yourself for. the building will have a 'responsible person', they may not necessarily be the individual that has created the fire risk assessment and procedures for maintaining a safe environment or evacuating the building, but the legal responsibility for their suitability rest with them, so find out who that is. Have a careful read of the procedures that you will have to enact, will they work practically? are there resources or training that are missing or redundant (hi-viz, megaphone, alarm sirens/lights exit signs) and does everyone in your section know of at least two ways to leave the building and where to assemble? how will you track who has arrived at the assembly point? who will call the fire brigade? does anyone have any special requirements? what happens if you have visitors? there are many more but this should get you thinking. Alistair pointed out a great website... but i find it really difficult to navigate... may be its just me? for your legal requirements www.legislation.gov.uk is surprisingly ease to use (in my opion) Search for "fire safety" ad it will bring up the 2010 employees regs, a load of other bits that may or may not be relevant to your sector and The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, make sure you check that one out. it gives you a clear outline of what your role requires "Meaning of “general fire precautions” 4.—(1) In this Order “general fire precautions” in relation to premises means, subject to paragraph (2)— (a)measures to reduce the risk of fire on the premises and the risk of the spread of fire on the premises; (b)measures in relation to the means of escape from the premises; (c)measures for securing that, at all material times, the means of escape can be safely and effectively used; (d)measures in relation to the means for fighting fires on the premises; (e)measures in relation to the means for detecting fire on the premises and giving warning in case of fire on the premises; and (f)measures in relation to the arrangements for action to be taken in the event of fire on the premises, including— (i)measures relating to the instruction and training of employees; and (ii)measures to mitigate the effects of the fire. " So good luck and dont kill anyone Ever the optimist Dave H

Simon I think Ken has given you the succinct reply that you were looking for. As for any role that you're asked to perform, you should know what is expected of you and have appropriate training and information to carry it out. You don't need to know the RRFSO or for that matter need to challenge the fire risk assessment or similar. Just ask for a summary of your duties and whether you need any training for that role. Bear in mind that the role will differ from organisation to organisation, with some fire marshals carrying out a very basic role while others may have additional 'duties' attached to the role. In that respect, the title is effectively 'meaningless'.