Fire Marshal Course (UK): Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Fire safety law and the responsible person

In England and Wales, fire safety in most non-domestic premises is covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, often called the Fire Safety Order. It puts the legal duties on the responsible person.

In a workplace, the responsible person is the employer, if the workplace is to any extent under their control. In other premises it is the person who controls the premises for a business or other undertaking, or else the owner. In shared buildings there can be more than one responsible person, and they must work together.

What the responsible person must do

• Carry out a fire risk assessment and review it regularly
• Tell staff about the risks that were found
• Put in place and maintain fire safety measures
• Plan for an emergency
• Give staff information, fire safety instruction and training

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The rules are different outside England and Wales. In Scotland, workplace fire safety duties are in Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. In Northern Ireland they are in Part 3 of the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. The ideas are similar: assess the risk, plan for an emergency and train staff.

Enforcement and your own duties

In England and Wales, local fire and rescue authorities inspect premises. They can issue an alterations notice, an enforcement notice to fix a serious risk by a deadline, or a prohibition notice, which takes effect at once and stops or limits use of the premises. Minor penalties can be up to £5,000. Major penalties can mean unlimited fines and up to 2 years in prison.

Employees have duties too. Under article 23 of the Order you must take reasonable care for your own safety and others' safety, co-operate with your employer, and tell your employer about any serious and immediate danger or any gap in the fire safety arrangements that you notice.

Lesson 2: The fire risk assessment

A fire risk assessment looks at what could start a fire, who could be harmed, and what is in place to keep people safe. Government guidance sets out five steps:

Since 1 October 2023, every responsible person in England and Wales must make a written record of the fire risk assessment. The record must include the findings, the measures taken or planned, and any group of people found to be especially at risk.

The responsible person can do the assessment with the help of the official guides, or appoint a competent person such as a professional risk assessor. The local fire and rescue authority can give advice, but it cannot carry out the assessment for you.

Lesson 3: The fire marshal's role

The Fire Safety Order says the responsible person must nominate a sufficient number of competent persons to carry out the evacuation procedures (article 15) and, where needed, the fire-fighting measures (article 13). A person is competent if they have enough training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to do the job properly.

Official guidance says that staff with a supervisory role in a fire, such as fire marshals or wardens, should be given details of the fire risk assessment and extra training. London Fire Brigade advises that staff with specific fire safety duties, including security staff and night patrols, get refresher training every 6 months, while all staff get refresher training at least once a year.

Everyday checks

• Escape routes and corridors are clear
• Exit doors open easily
• Fire doors are closed and not wedged open
• Fire alarm call points and extinguishers are not blocked
• Rubbish and other things that burn are not piled up near the building
• Faults are reported and recorded

Lesson 4: When there is a fire

Manual call points let the person who finds a fire raise the alarm at once. Whatever alarm system the building has, guidance says the fire and rescue service should always be called immediately if there is a fire.

Do not assume an automatic alarm brings a fire engine. For example, London Fire Brigade does not send crews to automatic fire alarms at many non-residential buildings, such as offices, between 7am and 8.30pm unless someone calls 999 to confirm a fire. Other fire services have their own policies.

Evacuation

• Follow your emergency plan. Many buildings use simultaneous evacuation. Some large buildings use phased evacuation, which alerts the people nearest the fire first.
• Do not use lifts, unless a lift is specially designed or chosen for evacuating disabled people.
• Close doors behind you to slow the fire and smoke.
• People with no training should not be expected to fight a fire. Use an extinguisher only if you are trained and it is safe.

Some people need help to leave. A personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) sets out how one person will get out safely. Evacuation is a management responsibility, so the plan must not depend on the fire and rescue service arriving.

At the assembly point, check that everyone has left and report it. Meet the fire and rescue service and pass on what you know: where the fire is, and anyone missing or still inside. Nobody goes back in until the fire service says it is safe.

Lesson 5: Fire drills, training and records

GOV.UK guidance says to carry out at least one fire drill a year and record the results as part of the fire safety and evacuation plan. Scottish guidance gives the same minimum but says every 6 months may suit many premises better.

Fire drill checklist

• Tell the alarm monitoring centre before the drill, or take the link off line, so the fire service is not called out
• Try a realistic problem, such as an escape route that is blocked
• Watch for people who cannot hear the alarm or who use the door they always use instead of the nearest exit
• Check how the plan works for disabled people
• Confirm that everyone got out and how this was reported
• Record the results, talk them through with staff and fix the problems

Employers must give fire safety training when people start work and when they face new or increased risks, such as a new job or new equipment. The training must be repeated when needed and must take place during working hours (article 21). Keep records of who was trained, when and on what.