The Importance of Fire Warden Training and Certification

What is fire warden training?

Training as a fire warden is a general knowledge training course that is nonetheless an important skill to learn, especially in a professional setting. Training as a fire warden involves fire safety training, which is important for personnel assigned as fire wardens or marshals in their respective workplaces. Fire safety training includes knowledge on how to handle situations in the event of a fire, as well as the measures and actions that should be taken in such circumstances.

Training as a fire warden is available as an offered training course through Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) all over the country. It can be learned through online delivery, face to face delivery or a combination of both delivery methods. Some RTOs also offer same-day certification upon completion of an online course, which makes the training a time-saver for those who are required to take the course as part of their work.

Below are examples of duties that a fire warden or marshal is expected to perform.

IDENTIFY AND REPORT EMERGENCIES AND HAZARDS

To be sure, identifying fire hazards is one of the jobs of a fire warden. A fire warden’s job doesn’t stop there, however. An effective fire warden can identify and report emergencies and hazards quickly and efficiently. If they cannot identify risk in time to prevent an incident, then they must be able to recognise when to report these hazards, or if a more immediate response is required (where applicable; always default to reporting hazards to the appropriate authorities).

HOW TO BEHAVE DURING EMERGENCIES

It’s a fire warden’s responsibility to set an example of how to behave during emergencies. Emergencies can be very stressful. Because of the tense atmosphere that may arise from such incidents, it’s imperative for fire wardens to know how to behave during these situations. Some situations call for an authoritative attitude, while some cases require a more calm approach. A fire warden needs to be able to discern which approach is appropriate for any given situation, to ensure the safety of the persons looking to them for instructions on how to proceed during an emergency.

HOW THE EMERGENCY CONTROL ORGANISATION IS STRUCTURED

While it’s not the fire warden’s sole responsibility to establish an emergency control organisation – this should be done with the full cooperation of the workplace administration, as an example – the assigned fire warden should be able to adequately assist in the formulation of such an organisation’s plans. They should also be able to help identify persons who are ideal to be part of the organisation, as these people will be responsible for the workplace’s or company’s emergency response procedures.

THE PROCEDURES FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Related to the above responsibility, the assigned fire warden will need to assist in the creation of emergency response procedures that are suitable for their organisation, company, or workplace. The procedures and their associated responses need to be appropriate for the size and structure of the organisation. It will also need to accommodate such concerns like accessibility for persons with disability, fire exit locations, and evacuation routes.

Fire safety is a serious concern. Enrol in a course today.