6 Benefits of Fire Extinguisher Training for Employees
Across the U.S., businesses experience tens of thousands of fires every year, and electrical equipment is one of the most common causes.
Fire extinguishers are effective for 80% of fires, so an early response is integral to survival and damage prevention. OSHA requires all staff to understand how and when to use fire extinguishers for personal safety.
That requires additional education, so Kauffman Co. offers fire extinguisher training for Houston businesses to ensure compliance with the law. The earlier you address fires, the more effectively you can limit their damage.
However, using a fire extinguisher isn’t as simple as pointing and shooting, so training and instruction are needed. Your employees will likely identify fires before first responders arrive, so training is imperative to:
1. Ensure Your Staff Knows How To Use a Fire Extinguisher
Extinguishers are the first and most important step to controlling fire, but even the most carefully chosen and placed equipment can achieve nothing if your employees don’t know how to use it.
The PASS method speeds up response and provides all the steps required to use an extinguisher:
- Pull the pin
- Aim
- Squeeze the lever
- Sweep from side to side
We’ll give your employees hands-on experience with this method using a training extinguisher, which is activated the same way as a real product. This will reduce panic when a real fire strikes so your employees can address the situation as quickly as possible.
2. Teach Staff How To Identify Potential Fire Hazards
Workplace fires are manageable with an effective workplace fire safety strategy. Prevention is always better, particularly with hazards as unpredictable and catastrophic as fires.
With training, your employees will learn how to identify ignition sources like electrical equipment, plastics, and gasoline. They’ll be able to detect problems by sight, sound, and scent, so they’ll know which events require an urgent response.
3. Educate Staff on Which Fire Extinguisher To Use
Using the wrong class of extinguisher can lead to larger fires, burns, and electrocution, so it’s imperative that workers can identify different types of fires. There are five fire extinguisher classes:
There are also multipurpose fire extinguishers that extinguish class A, B, and C fires and clean agent fire extinguishers that don’t use water or leave residue behind. Clean agent means they extinguish fires without damaging computers and other electrical equipment.
4. Reduce Property Losses & Damage
Rapid response is crucial to avoiding significant property losses because it takes less than 30 seconds for a small flame to evolve into a blaze.
Your extinguishers are your tools of choice for addressing small fires before they become catastrophic. They’ll also keep your insurance policy active.
5. Minimize Downtime
While a prompt response to a fire may still mean you must evacuate the property, you won’t have to wait outside for hours or temporarily close your doors while a fire and the inevitable damage are resolved.
As an employer, you have a duty of care, and your emergency procedures are a core component. This will minimize life loss as well as business downtime.
6. Establish When To Evacuate
Extinguishers are designed for small, controllable fires, so injuries are more likely to occur if your staff is unsure when to fight or evacuate.
We’ll teach your staff when to trigger a fire escape plan so they can evacuate in an orderly way.
Schedule Fire Extinguisher Training With Kauffman Co.
Your extinguishers are only as effective as the hands that wield them, so Kauffman Co. offers hands-on training in an outdoor environment.
If you prefer indoor training, our cutting-edge video simulation imitates a real fire so your employees can grow comfortable with your equipment. Armed with knowledge about fire classes, extinguisher usage principles, and simulated real-world training, they’ll be better equipped to address real fires calmly and rationally.
Kauffman Co. will address your fire response strategy from all angles by supplying and maintaining the extinguishers you keep on-site and teaching your employees how to respond safely and effectively.
Call (713) 893-1090 or contact us online to schedule fire extinguisher training and request service for all your fire extinguisher and fire protection needs!
