Posted By Ken Taylor I suppose it depends upon the nature of the building, its occupants and the extent to which management are prepared to risk fire-loss. The advantages of fire marshalls can be considerable: trained in use of extinguishers; appreciate nature, causes, spread of fire; train and instruct colleagues; inspect/check their work areas; ensure extinguishers are in place, escape routes free, etc; assist with practice drills; keep management informed; check areas are 'clear' in the event of fire; ensure arrangements for disabled persons are operational; etc; etc. If management can cover all these by means other than appointing fire marshalls they might then reasonably consider whether they are necessary.

Posted By Anthony Buck Additional: Fire Marshalls are not at an extra risk in doing their job. If they are, it's because you have not apointed sufficient Marshalls to cover the building in a safe reasonable amount of time. In evacuations in Marshalled buildings, the Marshalls do not spend ages in the building, and are merely at the back of the bunch of staff they are responsible for, thus leaving at virtually the same time.

Posted By Geoff Burt Laurie Surely that's going round in a circle? The supervisors/managers are acting as fire marshalls and need training quid pro quo Geoff

Posted By Anthony Buck You would be suprised what training ought be given. A marshall will only hear the alarm, & not know where it originated. It may have been from a room in their area, & the alarm may have been triggered by Automatic Fire Detection, rather than a person. If the Marshall just rushes into the room, they could put themselves in peril, particularly if there was a backdraft, or at the very least get a lung full of smoke. Basic home fire safety includes checking a door before opening & proper workplace training should include how to open doors ifyou are not sure what's behind them- you don't just swing it wide open. The chances of opening the door to the fire area are not large, but are enough to warrant attention to the matter. If training is not practical, the information should at least be in fire safety induction material that all staff should get anyway.

Posted By Anthony Buck Quite true. Fire Warden Courses cover day to day Fire Prevention (or should)& the investment made in training should not be wasted by assuming wardens only have a job when the alarm rings. Routine duties of wardens are often forgotten, but they are invaluable for spotting fire hazards in their area, training other staff in the fire procedure, & liason

Posted By Geoff Burt Ron Had an interesting experience with a client. Various factors contributed to a fire in their premises. There are no fire wardens. The surprise was that despite procedures being in place (evacuation is supervised by managers who are not formally trained in fire procedures but they do carry our regular fire drills) and tested - when it came to the real thing people just stood and watched the fire and the attempts to put it out. The LFA man wasn't surprised, apparently it is quite common. One lesson learned though was that the fire hose in one corner of the main workshop wasn't long enough - another one has now been installed. Geoff

Posted By Jane Blunt Dear all I support the idea of having fire wardens. One solution to the absence problem can be to have 50% more trained wardens than there are zones to be checked. You then must have some kind of card or token system, to ensure that only one person is checking each area. Make sure your fire training and your procedures extend to the aftermath. I have witnessed a real fire situation at a place of work in which, so as to get rid of the 'nasty noise', the fire alarm was switched off almost straight away by a member of the maintenance staff. This meant that people approaching the building, but out of sight of those evacuated, started to enter it, while there was a fire inside. Make sure that everyone knows who is in charge of the management of the situation, including those helpful maintenance staff!! Jane

Posted By Stuart Nagle The is is the advice of the Fire Protection association; 1) Legal responsibility for single occupier buildings lies with the owner of the building. 2) If in multiple occupation, the owner must apply for a fire certificate and the owner/occupier of each set of premises have respnsibilities for complying with the various fire precautions required. 3) All companies, in practice, should have a director or senior manager responsible for fire safety. 4) The fire safety manager should appoint a fire warden or wardens as required, each of whom should have deputies. Hence the fire safety manager should; a) appoint fire wardens/deputies by name b) designate areas of the premisies for which they will be responsible c) specify their duties in writing d) establish procedures for their reports to be actioned e) train them f) maintain continuity when staff who are wardens are on leave or move to other companies g) control issue of hot work permits h) liaise with the Fire Brigade 5) The role of the fire warden is; a) take appropriate and effective action if a fire occurs b) Ensure that escape routes are available for use c)Identify hazards in the workplace d) record and report their observations 6) If a fire is discovered the fire warden should; a) ensure the alarm has been raised b) check that manufacturing or other processes have been made safe c) evacuate staff from the building or area involved d) check that any staff or visitors with disibilities are assisted as planned e) call the reporting centre and give details of the location, severity and cause of the fire if known f) fight the fire if safe to do so. This advice is taken from the publication; Fire Risk Management in the Workplace - A Guide for Employers - Second Edition by Adair Lewis and Willian Dailey Published by the Fire Protection Association ISNB 1-902790-04-9 £15.00