Fire Extinguisher Training Is Crucial for Your Shippensburg Workplace | SERVPRO® of Lebanon County

4/5/2023 (Permalink)

Fire extinguishers and their importance for employee safety SERVPRO of Shippensburg/Perry County 717-300-3347

A workplace crisis can be stressful, and if your team is unprepared, it will only exacerbate the situation. If a fire emergency were to erupt on your commercial property, you’ll need to trust your team to respond appropriately.

Creating a fire-safe commercial environment through fire extinguisher training can help you ready your team against the unexpected. While it may appear to be a simple task, many of your employees may be completely unaware of the proper usage of this vital tool!

Fortunately, training your team is simple, and before you know it, your entire workplace will know how to fight back against flames

Start With the Fundamentals

OSHA mandates that any workplace that includes fire extinguishers must supply the baseline training needed to operate them. This includes demonstrating to your team how and when to use them, as well as the various types of extinguishers available.

Begin with the basics of how to hold and aim the extinguisher. Once employees have mastered this step, show them how to pull the pin, press the handle and sweep over a fire. During your training, explain the importance of keeping a six to eight feet distance from the fire.

To assist them in remembering your training, introduce the helpful PASS method. Running through these fundamentals at least once a year is another way to keep this essential topic fresh in the mind.

Because newer employees may lack experience with this critical tool, assigning roles can help you ensure it never falls into the wrong hands. Select a couple of employees who are well-trained to be in charge of the fire extinguishers you have stored in your Shippensburg building.

There’s a Time and a Place

Highlighting any commercial hazards that require the operation of a fire extinguisher will help your employees understand when they need to be utilized. Go over any unique risks or scenarios present in your Shippensburg workplace as well as the kind of extinguisher that needs to be used for a specific fire.

A break room kitchen fire, for example, will necessitate its own type of fire extinguisher.

Emphasize the importance of realizing when it’s time to put the extinguisher down and walk away. This is critical because fires can quickly escalate, and the safety of your team is far more important than fighting back.

When flames spread beyond a fire extinguisher’s control, your employees need to know to back away, get to a safe place and alert local authorities.

Fire extinguisher training is the best place to start as you introduce your Shippensburg workplace to a complete fire safety plan. Once you are all done with your hands-on training, you can begin your next big steps to ensure your team is fully equipped to respond to any size fire emergency.

Dealing with the aftermath of a commercial fire? Our SERVPRO of Shippensburg/Perry County specialists can restore your losses and return your workplace to its pre-fire condition.

If you have a fire at your workplace or home SERVPRO of Lebanon County is your best choice! 

717-300-3347