More than 350,000 cardiac issues occur outside of the hospital during the course of a year. The number of deaths that occur from these cardiac arrests is significantly reduced thanks to life-saving CPR training. There is a heavy emphasis on CPR training and licensing in hospitals, schools, workplaces, and many other institutions, but what’s less common is training on fire safety. Fire drills are a great way to practice for any company and are typically required to happen at least once a year, but the handy fire extinguishers that are also required to be present in a workplace are overlooked.
A fire extinguisher training course is beyond valuable, and yet not many workplaces or institutions subject their employees or members to these training courses, despite the requirement of fire extinguishers in most public places. Let’s review just three critical reasons why you should invest in a fire extinguisher training course.
Minimize Fire Damage
Reaching for the correct fire extinguisher can help save your business from total destruction, but if you have more than one fire extinguisher, a clueless employee may not know which one to use in a moment of panic. Teaching employees the difference between types of fires and types of fire extinguishers is invaluable knowledge that they can apply not only in their workplace but their home as well, potentially saving them personal fire damage in their own lives. A simple fire extinguisher training course can have an enormous impact on an employee’s knowledge base and may give them the chance to put that knowledge to the test in a dire situation.
Prevent Injury
By educating employees on the difference between types of fires and fire extinguishers, you’re arming them with the knowledge to potentially prevent injury or even fire-related death. It’s hard to think clearly in a panic situation, but every seed of knowledge that’s planted from a fire extinguisher course is a seed that has the potential to grow, blossom, and come to light in a time of need. Just like an employee may never need to utilize first aid training, fire extinguisher training may never be used, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
OSHA May Require Fire Extinguisher Training
The laws of OSHA vary between workplaces, but it’s certainly possible that your workplace requires fire extinguisher training. Depending on the laws in your area and workplace, you may or may not have to tackle fire extinguisher training along with your fire drills, but even if OSHA doesn’t require it, the training is invaluable to have just in case.
A fire extinguisher training course is an invaluable training course for your employees to take. The number of times that training is put to the test may be zero over the course of their employment, but there’s no way to tell if and when the information will be put to the test. It’s better to be safe and have a thorough knowledge of fire extinguisher safety than to lack that knowledge when it’s needed.
