Act now - reduce your risk of a £300,000 fine

Students at a seminar/training session

St John Ambulance is advising businesses to check they are adhering to fire regulations, after Shell was reportedly fined a record £300,000 for breaching fire safety laws.

Over 88,000 buildings catch fire in England every year, causing over 10,000 injuries and 319 deaths. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that you must have people with sufficient training as fire marshals to identify a fire hazard, assist in evacuation and help implement your preventative and protective measures. If you don’t, you could receive an unlimited fine. Certificates, issued before the regulations existed, have been abolished and have had no legal status since 2006.

Peter Savage, MD at St John Ambulance, says: ‘The cost of fire can be high – to you, your staff and your business – but it needn’t be that way. All businesses must carry out a risk assessment and ensure employees are nominated to put fire prevention measures into place.

'St John Ambulance has been training people to carry out this role since the fire safety order came into force. We employ qualified, professional trainers to deliver fire marshal training which is endorsed by the Institute of Fire Engineers.’

St John Ambulance offers several services relating to fire safety for businesses of all kinds. A fire marshal calculator, can help determine how many trained employees are required. Training for marshals can be tailored to suit the specific needs of an organisation, and can be held on the premises concerned. The St John Ambulance Fire marshal course covers everything needed for the role, including:

  • how to act when discovering a fire
  • liaison with the fire service
  • the causes and chemistry of fire
  • drills, evacuation and how to use an extinguisher.

If you need to equip your workplace with the latest fire safety accessories St John Ambulance Supplies stocks extinguishers, alarms, signage and more.