Who is Responsible for Using a Fire Extinguisher?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the primary legislation governing fire safety in non-domestic premises in the UK.

Under the Fire Safety Order, every workplace or non-domestic property must have one (or more) person accountable for compliance.

They’re known as the responsible person (or persons when there’s more than one).

Fire safety generally starts at the top of an organisation. Responsible persons are usually employers, landlords or building managers, and they have several duties relating to fire safety in the workplace, including:

• Conducting and reviewing fire risk assessments
• Sharing risk assessment findings with staff or other occupants
• Ensuring adequate firefighting equipment is present in the workplace
• Establishing and maintaining appropriate fire safety measures
• Planning for emergencies, including evacuations
• Providing staff with adequate fire safety information and training

It’s unrealistic to expect one or even multiple people to complete all of the above. Especially since effective fire safety requires constant vigilance and revision.

Therefore, responsible persons are allowed to entrust specific duties to other competent individuals as long as they’re sure that the individual has the knowledge, skills and experience to do the job safely.

For example, an employer might appoint a fire safety expert to complete the fire risk assessment. In this case, the responsible person still fulfils their risk assessment duties even if they’re not doing the work themselves.

Responsible persons will also enlist fire wardens to assist them in their fire safety duties.

Fire wardens (also sometimes referred to as fire marshals) are given additional fire safety duties by the responsible person. One of these may be using firefighting equipment, such as fire extinguishers, to halt the spread of a fire if it’s safe. Other duties include:

• Testing fire alarms
• Inspecting firefighting equipment, including extinguishers
• Supporting the implementation of fire risk control measures
• Offering assistance during evacuations

(This fire warden duties infographic can be shared with your team)

Fire Wardens must be provided additional training by the responsible person to ensure they can safely fulfil these expanded fire safety duties.

Unless you’ve been given additional duties by the responsible person, you must follow your organisation’s fire safety policies.

In an emergency, evacuation should always be your priority.

You are strongly advised against using a fire extinguisher unless you’ve received adequate training and doing so won’t put you at personal risk.

It might seem clear based on the name, but fire extinguishers aren’t only for firefighting.

Yes, they’re the first line of defence against small fires. If it’s detected early enough, a trained person could use an extinguisher to put out a fire before it poses a significant risk to people or property.

An extinguisher might also be needed to snuff out flames along an evacuation route and buy more time for people to exit the building.

However, fire extinguishers are only suitable for small, contained fires. The point at which it’s unsafe to use an extinguisher can come quickly. This is another reason why training is critical. You must be able to assess the situation and judge whether it’s safe to reach for an extinguisher or head for the exit.

To safely use a fire extinguisher and make a difference in the firefighting efforts, you need to know what you’re doing.

That’s why only certain employees are chosen for firefighting duties and given the additional training to handle fire extinguishers.

Firstly, it’s critical to understand classes of fire and know the corresponding extinguisher type to tackle them. Different extinguishers also require different techniques to work effectively. All of this vital knowledge should be covered in fire extinguisher training.

But even with training, you should be cautious when fighting a fire with an extinguisher. You must only use an extinguisher if:

• The fire alarm has been raised
• The fire is small
• There is a clear exit route
• You’re confident you can put out the fire safely

If any of the above conditions aren’t met, you should prioritise evacuation over firefighting.

Similarly, if the extinguisher does not work or has no effect, stop immediately and evacuate the building. Do not waste precious seconds retrieving a second extinguisher. Your priority is to leave safely with everyone else.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, anyone expected to use a fire extinguisher at work must receive adequate training. The risks of getting it wrong are simply too high.

Between firefighting and evacuating, evacuation is the safer and preferred choice. The only exception is when flames or smoke block your exit. In such cases, you may use a fire extinguisher to help create a path to safety – but not to attempt to put out the fire.

Using a fire extinguisher without instruction puts yourself and others at risk and can worsen a bad situation. You need training to be prepared to use one in a fire emergency.

Our online Fire Extinguisher Course teaches you to safely handle a fire extinguisher in an emergency. You’ll learn about the different types of fire and the corresponding extinguishers to use. In the event of a fire, you can choose the suitable extinguisher, handle it correctly and give yourself and your colleagues the best chance to evacuate safely.