Online Courses FAQs

General Fire Safety FAQs

Fully understand fire safety and why it is so important with our FAQs.

• What is fire safety?

  Fire safety is a set of procedures which aim to reduce the amount of damage and injuries caused by fires. These include risk assessments to help identify and reduce areas of fire risk and formulate an emergency and evacuation plan in the event that a fire does break out.

  Learn more about Fire Safety with our online course.

• What are some fire safety tips?

  Ensure that you have smoke alarms installed throughout your home or business and test them every month in case the batteries are flat. Take care when cooking with oil at home and never leave lit candles unattended. Have a thorough fire safety evacuation plan in case of a large fire and carry out drills regularly. If a fire does occur, make sure you stay outside and call for help until the fire has been completely extinguished.

• Can water make fire worse?

  Depending on the type of fire, using water to try and extinguish it can make the situation worse. In the event of a fire, its best to use a fire extinguisher which correlates to the type of fire you're dealing with, but only attempt to do this if your exit is clear.

  Learn more about the different types of fire extinguishers here.

• Do I need a fire prevention plan?

  It is recommended that any business which carries a higher risk of fire than average, such as from storing combustible waste or chemicals on site, has a fire prevention plan to properly protect both the business and the environment from damage.

  Find out more about emergency fire planning here.

• Do you have to be a firefighter to be a fire inspector?

  While it isn’t essential to have firefighting experience to become a fire inspector, the majority of fire inspectors have spend an amount of time as firefighters. Those fire inspectors who don’t have hands on experience usually come from roles which relate to fire safety outside of the traditional fire service.

• How do I make a fire evacuation plan?

  In order to make a fire evacuation plan, you will first need to conduct a fire risk assessment of your business. Once you have done this, you can decide upon your fire safety strategy, which includes evacuation routes, safe meeting points for staff, and proper procedures for contacting the fire department.

  Take a look at our fire risk assessment template here.

• How often should you do fire safety training?

  Whenever new staff join the business, you’ll need to ensure they’re trained on your fire safety procedures. In addition to this, if anything changes within your business which adds new risks, you will need to inform all staff of the new fire risks.

  Make sure you and your team are fully fire safety trained with our online course here.

• In what situations should you not fight a fire?

  Tackling small fires is fine, provided you are cautious and have a clear escape route. If you would need to put yourself in a compromised position, such as having the fire between you and your escape route, then you should not attempt to fight the fire. If you don’t have the right type of fire extinguisher for the fire, or it has started to spread, then do not try to extinguish the fire and prioritise evacuation.

• Is fire safety training a legal requirement?

  It is legally required for all employees to be trained in basic fire safety when inducted into your business, and should be periodically followed up throughout employment.

  View our full range of fire safety courses here.

• Is using water a dangerous way to remove heat from fire?

  Water is typically one of the most straightforward ways of removing heat from a fire, but there are times where this is dangerous. You should never use water on cooking oil fires and metal fires as it will make the situation worse and add further dangers.

• What are the 3 main causes of fire?

  Three major causes of fires are cooking equipment overheating, faulty electrical wiring or appliances and smoking.

• What are the fire evacuation procedures?

  In the event of a fire, you should take the following steps to ensure that everyone is evacuated safely from the building: set off the fire alarm, call 999, help any injured people while exiting the building, ensure everyone is out of the building and secure the site, and stay away from the building until it is safe to return.

  Learn more about fire evacuation procedures in the workplace here.

• What are the requirements for emergency and evacuation procedures?

  Businesses must have a fire emergency and evacuation plan which contains actions on what to do if a fire occurs. All employees must be aware of what this plan is, the evacuation route as per the floor plan, and should give easily understood instructions on what to do.

  Read our Fire Safety and Evacuation Planning Guide here.

• What are the rules for fire safety?

  While there aren’t universal rules around fire safety, there are a number of essential points you should consider. Conducting a fire risk assessment will help you understand areas of risk within your home or business, and how to reduce this risk. Keeping sources of ignition and burnable substances far apart from each other is one of the most important parts of fire safety, as it reduces the risk of a fire starting in the first place.

• What are the three elements of fire?

  The three elements that a fire would need to ignite are heat, a fuel source and oxygen.

• What are the three key elements in a fire prevention plan?

  The three key parts to a fire prevent plan are having establish fire exits for your building, forming a comprehensive emergency and evacuation plan, and keeping fire extinguishers on hand for tackling smaller fires.

  Learn more about reducing the risk of fire in schools here.

• What are the three main causes of fire in the NHS?

  The three main causes of fire on healthcare premises are smoking, faulty electrics and cooking appliances.

• What can cause the most dangerous fires?

  There are numerous factors which can contribute to how dangerous a fire can grow to be. Grease and cooking oil fires can get out of control quickly and require specific methods to be extinguished which might not be known to everyone, meaning they can present a large amount of danger if improperly dealt with. Chemical fires present similar challenges.

  Become aware of other common health and safety hazards in kitchens here.

• What is fire prevention and fire fighting?

  A fire prevention plan is a set of procedures and measures which aim to reduce the risk of fires on-site. Firefighting is a means of tackling fires, whether they are smaller fires which can be extinguished by following specific instructions with specialist equipment, or larger fires which require trained firefighters to tackle with heavy-duty equipment.

  Reduce common fire hazards in the workplace with our guide here.

• What is a fire safety course?

  A fire safety course is a series of modules delivered by trained individuals or e-learning platforms which aim to raise the awareness of potential causes and risks associated with fires, including how to safely tackle one if it breaks out.

  View our full range of fire safety courses here.

• What is fire safety training?

  A fire safety training is a course delivered by trained individuals or e-learning platforms which aim to raise the awareness of potential causes and risks associated with fires, including how to safely tackle one if it breaks out.

  View our full range of fire safety courses here.

• Does smoke and combustion gases spread faster than fire?

  Yes - smoke and hot gases will spread as the result of a fire, travelling through a building in hot air currents and cause combustible materials to ignite, thus spreading the fire.

• What is a FPFF course?

  A Fire Prevention and Fire Fighting (FPFF) course explains the causes of fires, how to minimise the risks of fire and how to safely extinguish them.

• What is the best way to fight a fire?

  The best way to fight a fire is to use the corresponding fire extinguisher which matches the type of fire, e.g. a dry powder extinguisher (blue label) for tackling Class A, B, C and electrical fires.

  Learn more about the different types of fire and which fire extinguishers to use here.

• What is the difference between fire prevention and fire protection?

  Fire prevention is a series of steps which can help prevent fires from occurring, while fire protection is the use tools and procedures to minimise the risks in the case of a fire breaking out.

• What is the main cause of death in a fire?

  Smoke inhalation is the main cause of death associated with fire.

• What must you decide before using a fire extinguisher to put out a fire?

  Before using a fire extinguisher, ensure that you can confidently tackle the size of the fire safely. Do not put yourself in a compromised position in order to attempt to fight the fire, and make sure that you have the right fire extinguisher for the type of fire.

  Learn more about which fire extinguisher to use here.

• Why does water put out fire?

  Water is a completely oxidised material (H2O), which means that it can’t oxidise any further and acts as a barrier between the fuel source (whatever is burning) and the oxygen source because it won’t ignite, effectively smothering the flames. This principle also applies to using CO2 to extinguish a fire.

• Why is fire safety important in the workplace?

  Fire safety is an important part of preventing fires and minimising the dangers associated with fire in the event that one does break out.