You take care to make sure the fire extinguishers in your facility are filled and properly signed. But does your population know how to use them? Fire extinguisher training is often overlooked in the fire safety strategy. The fire/life safety team is not just the small team of wardens and searchers. It’s the entire building population. Everyone needs to be able to react quickly in an emergency. People need to know how to use the extinguisher, what extinguishers to use on what fires, and when they need to put it down and get out. One teaching tool is the National Fire Protection Association’s acronym for fire extinguisher operation: PASS. Pull the pin. Aim low. Squeeze the lever slowly and sweep the nozzle from side-to-side. Adding fire extinguisher training to the emergency preparedness curriculum in your building would help spice up the routine, keep your team interested and remind everyone that you’re relying on them to work as a team and take responsibility for their safety.
