I’m a fire safety officer, what are my responsibilities?
The old saying about prevention being better than cure is never more appropriate when it comes to the work of a fire safety officer. Their many tasks can and are responsible for fires not starting in the first place and, when they do, having those concerned acting in the safe and trained method for evacuation and fire fighting.
A fire safety officer is a teacher. He or she is responsible for seeing that all the requirements of handling an emergency in the workplace are fulfilled. Exit signage, fire safety doors, assembly points, staff instruction, correct notices displayed in all the right places, regular checks of all fire extinguishers and actual drills for evacuation procedures are all the responsibility of a fire safety officer.
A fire safety officer is also a qualified first aid operator and someone who knows about the different types of fires and the different types of fire extinguishers used to fight fires according to its type or class.
Fire safety officers are also responsible for inspecting buildings and workplaces looking for potential fire hazards, fire traps and the proper use of exits, fire exit signs, and assembly points. They will check the paperwork for a workplace’s fire safety instructions and procedures.