An extinguisher is only useful if someone knows when – and when not – to use it. Fire safety training is a legal requirement for employers across the UK.
What the Law Says
Employers must give staff suitable and sufficient fire safety training. It must be given:
- when someone starts work,
- when their job or the risks change – for example, new equipment or a new way of working,
- repeated regularly where needed, and
- during working hours.
Enough people must also be trained to carry out your fire procedures, including using firefighting equipment. This comes from:
- England and Wales – the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
- Scotland – the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006
- Northern Ireland – the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010
The law doesn't set a fixed refresher interval – that's down to your fire risk assessment.
Who Needs Training?
- Everyone – basic fire awareness: how to raise the alarm, escape routes and the assembly point.
- Fire marshals and named staff – practical extinguisher training. Train at least two people per area or shift, so holidays and sickness are covered. See Fire Marshals and Fire Wardens.
What Training Should Cover
- Raise the alarm first – always.
- The fire classes, and which extinguisher to use on each. See Fire Classes Explained and What Do the Colours on Fire Extinguishers Mean?.
- How to use an extinguisher safely. See How to Use a Fire Extinguisher.
- When not to tackle a fire – if it's bigger than a waste paper bin, if it's spreading, if you don't have the right extinguisher, if you haven't been trained, or if it would put your way out at risk. Getting out safely always comes first.
- Fire blankets, where you have them. See Fire Blankets: Where and How to Use Them.
How Often?
Common practice, recommended by many Fire and Rescue Services, is:
- fire safety training on the first day, with a refresher at least once a year,
- more often where staff turnover is high or the risks are higher, and
- at least one fire drill a year. See Fire Drills and Evacuation Plans.
Fire marshal certificates are often renewed every 3 years, or every year in high-risk premises such as care homes and hospitals.
Online or Hands-On?
Online courses are a good, low-cost way to cover the basics. For staff named to use extinguishers, we recommend adding practical, hands-on training – using a real extinguisher, a training extinguisher or a fire simulator builds confidence that a screen can't.
Keep Records
Record who was trained, when, and on what, so you can show who's up to date and who's due a refresher. Your fire safety log book is a good place to keep this.
Official guidance: GOV.UK (England and Wales), gov.scot (Scotland) and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.
Worth remembering… your fire risk assessment is what decides what your premises need. This guide is general advice, not a substitute for it.
Not sure what you need? Get in touch with our team – we'll be delighted to help. No pressure. No sales patter.