Is your workplace prepared for an emergency situation? Assign a fire warden, who sticks to health & safety regulations.
Fire accidents pose a serious risk to businesses as well as apartments. It is crucial for organizations and residential apartments to strictly follow certain fire protection and prevention measures. Implementing fire safety measures such as alarm systems, escape routes, fire extinguishers, etc. is just not fine. Assigning a fire warden is crucial for helping people to evacuate safely and for maintaining good fire safety awareness in the workplace. Fire wardens play a vital role in this emergency preparation. Also called a fire marshal or a fire-watch, a fire warden is someone who is trained and certified by professional training firms.
A Gulf Today article highlights that according to the report from the Ministry of Interior (MoI), 2,090 fire incidents happened in homes and facilities in 2021, of which 66.2% were residential, and 97.1% were limited and minor. Based on these statistics, 775 fires broke out in Abu Dhabi, 364 in Dubai, 304 in Ajman, 293 in Sharjah, 149 in Fujairah, 145 in Ras Al Khaimah, and 60 fires in Umm Al Quwain.
Identification and elimination of potential fire hazards both inside and outside the building can prevent such fire accidents and related consequences. A well-trained fire warden not only stops fires on your premises but also maintains a fire plan and helps in an emergency by evacuating people safely to assembly points.
The responsibilities of a fire marshal are not just limited to stopping fires and saving people. Fire warden’s roles and responsibilities can be divided into 2 categories such as – proactive day-to-day duties and reactive emergency duties. While day-to-day duties include checking and ensuring that all preventive measures are in place to avoid any fire accidents, reactive emergency duties include using fire extinguishers properly in case of an emergency, raising alarms and saving staff from accidents and injuries and moving them to a safe area.
In general, the duties of a fire warden include:
- Prevent emergencies by monitoring the adequacy of fire risk control measures
- Report all fire hazards without delay
- Assist the Workplace Manager in implementing effective fire prevention plans
- Manage the evacuation of all persons from their designated area to a safer place
- Lead the fire drills & real evacuation procedures
- Ensure fire safety signages and break glass call points are visible and securely fastened to the wall
- Ensure that all electrical equipment is PAT assured and tested
- Monitor and recognize areas that are unsafe to enter during an emergency
- Check whether fire extinguishers are visible and are regularly serviced
- Routine check whether fire alarms are in working order and clearly visible
- Make emergency arrangements within the workplace
- Help disabled individuals to rescue from the fire area
- Instruct and train workers on the ways to respond in an emergency
- Ensure no one is left behind, in the building
- Monitor evacuation routes and check whether they are kept free of obstructions
- Direct everyone to leave the building using appropriate routes and exits
- Monitor and maintain records of all fire safety activities
- Regularly updates fire safety plans and evacuation procedures
The duties of a fire marshal may vary depending on the number of employees in an office and how big or small the building is. Offices prefer to hire fire wardens with good experience and knowledge in fire risk prevention and protection duties.
Fire wardens are also trained to provide additional attention and care to control the movements of staff during emergency evacuations by securing the site, coordinating helpers, communicating with first responders and overseeing safe evacuation procedures. They have to work together with other fire wardens for a more thorough evacuation. Additional training is also provided in using firefighting equipment. Professional fire warden training programs are available to those who wish to develop and undertake specific roles in fire safety to manage fire risks such as fire wardens, marshals, and stewards. At SLC Group, we provide safety training courses accredited by recognized health and safety membership organizations such as IOSH, NEBOSH and Highfield.
Contact us for more details on our fire warden training programs.
