Why Night Staff Should Have Fire Alarm Training
In the years that I traveled as a Sales Representative, I experienced many times when a fire alarm would go off throughout the night. As the hotel guests evacuated, I often found that the night staff didn’t know what to do. In almost every case, it was an accidental alarm, and in many cases, night staff do not get properly trained on fire systems and evacuation procedures for a building.
Training your night staff on the fire alarm system is important because it means that they are equipped to handle any emergency situations. This way, when an alarm goes off, they can react in an organized and timely manner.
With so many types of fire alarm systems and fire suppression systems, understanding the types of alarms in your building is critical to the response.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires most employers to have an emergency action plan for various scenarios, including fires in the workplace. These workplace fire procedures are required and should be passed on to everyone in your team.
What does Fire Alarm Training Look like for the Staff?
Your system should get a complete fire alarm inspection from your fire alarm contractor on a yearly basis. This is an excellent time to have the entire staff present so that the inspector can go over the system operation.
Conducting fire drills in your building will get the staff accustomed to the fire alarm sound and process and will help them act calmly in an emergency scenario. During these drills, let the staff see the alarm panel and system. Answer any questions they have about the different buttons and let them get familiar with the process. This will help you avoid any panicked button-pressing during an alarm.
While training staff on an alarm system is simple, it is essential to schedule the time on a regular basis to keep everyone up to date and knowledgeable. Your night staff are going to be responsible for the people and property at a time when no one else is around, so you need to be able to rely on their expertise.
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