Fire Warden FAQs

Businesses need a fire warden or marshal, the number of which must be appropriate to the size of the company.

All employees acting as fire wardens need to receive at least basic training.

A fire warden looks after all elements of fire safety in the workplace, including the emergency plan, fire drills, risk management, etc.

Businesses usually ask for volunteers to be fire wardens and basic training is usually then provided at an official fire service training centre in the form of a one-day course.

Once you have undertaken fire warden training, you receive a certificate that needs to be renewed with refresher training every three years.

Generally, it is advised to have one warden for every 20 people, so in a workplace of 100 people, five wardens would be required.

Fire warden training needs to be carried out every three years

How often should fire warden training be refreshed?

All appointed fire wardens need to have fire warden training every three years.

Fire wardens need to be responsible for the emergency plan at a workplace, manage risks, raise awareness of fire safety, lead fire drills and ensure all workers are accounted for after an evacuation.

Fire warden training involves learning about legislation, causes of fire, how to prevent fires, how to conduct fire drills and basic extinguisher training.

Fire warden training is the necessary training required for all fire wardens, where they learn the basics of fire safety and how to be responsible for emergency procedures.

For most businesses, there is little difference between the roles, but at more complex workplaces, both will be needed. The fire warden is responsible for searching and clearing the premises, while the fire marshal is responsible for checking that everyone (including the warden) is at the assembly point.

The main responsibility of a fire warden is to make sure that everyone gets out of the workplace in the case of a fire or emergency.