Understanding key elements of fire safety can save property, life and assets. Fire safety training is a vital element of any fire safety plan, ensuring that care home employees are aware of fire risks in the building and know how to act in the event of an emergency.
It is extremely important that training for care home employees covers key risk topics, identified by the fire risk assessments already undertaken.
What to include in training:
Proactive management of fire risks
It’s important to teach employees what to look out for, how to report an issue, and how to ensure a problem is effectively resolved. Fire safety is everyone’s obligation, regardless of who the responsible person is. All employees should know how to detect and address fire hazards.
Basic preventative housekeeping procedure
All employees should be aware of everyday basic housekeeping procedures that help reduce the risk of fire. These tasks include clearing tumble dryer filters, removing combustible items from cupboards that contain electrical sources of heat, and checking that plant rooms and riser shafts are clear of clutter.
Kitchen safety
Industrial or large kitchens are a high fire risk area. All employees need to be aware of fire safety in the kitchen, even if they are not directly employed to work in the kitchen. This also applies to temporary kitchen contractors.
Fire safety action strategy
Employees need to know what to do in the event of a fire. They need to be sure of the fire strategy, which includes evacuation procedures and their own personal responsibilities.
Fire door monitoring
Fire doors are a key fire safety feature in care homes, enabling rooms to be compartmented to slow the spread of fire or smoke. Employees should understand the rules for closing fire doors and know how to spot damage or problems with them. Knowledge of fire door safety can aid in effective evacuation procedures.
In the care home sector, effective management of fire safety is vital.
Ensure your employees are fully trained and aware of fire hazards with bespoke fire safety training from Churches Fire.
