Fire Safety and Prevention

This course is for workers, supervisors and employers in Canada who need a solid base in preventing fires at work and responding when one starts. It also covers the fire safety roles of employers, supervisors and workers, and your three rights as a worker. Canadian rules expect this kind of training in several places:

• British Columbia: every worker must get adequate instruction in the fire prevention and emergency evacuation procedures for their workplace (OHS Regulation s.4.16).
• Alberta: your employer's emergency response plan must set out the emergency response training requirements and the fire protection requirements for the site (OHS Code s.116).
• National Fire Code of Canada: in buildings that need a fire safety plan, supervisory staff must be trained in the plan's fire emergency procedures before they are given any fire safety responsibility. The plan must also cover training for other occupants.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Describe the fire triangle, the fire tetrahedron and the classes of fire
• Identify common workplace fire hazards and their controls, including electrical hazards
• Charge, store and handle lithium-ion batteries and compressed gas cylinders safely
• Recognize fire safety signs and what their colours mean
• Read WHMIS labels and Safety Data Sheets, and identify GHS pictograms and TDG hazard classes that matter for fire
• Store and handle flammable liquids safely, including bonding and grounding
• Cover the basics of personal protective equipment and fire safety equipment
• Describe the types of fire extinguishers and the PASS technique
• Follow the steps of a workplace fire evacuation
• Explain hot work permit requirements and fire watch procedures

Plan for about 60 minutes, online at your own pace. You need 80% to pass, and you get three attempts before the course must be reassigned.

When you pass, you receive a certificate of completion.

The catalogue has several fire courses for Canadian workplaces. Pick by the job you need to do:

• This course: about 60 minutes. Broad fire prevention for any workplace, from hazards and batteries to WHMIS, evacuation and hot work.
• Fire Extinguisher Use & Safety: about 30 minutes. When to use an extinguisher and when not to, fire classes A to K, extinguisher types, inspection and placement, the PASS method, and watching for reflash after a fire.
• Fire Extinguisher Essentials: Fighting Fires Safely (CAN): about 30 minutes. Fire behaviour, fire classes and extinguishers, Canadian fire safety legislation, worker rights, employer training obligations, the PASS method, and extinguisher care and inspection.
• Fire Extinguisher Training with Optional Practical: about 90 minutes. Fire science, extinguisher types and inspections, hot work rules (Alberta OHS Code and NFPA 51B), fire watch and fire warden roles, and advice for running a live-fire practical.
• Fire Watch: about 60 minutes. For the person assigned to watch for fire, often during hot work.

The online course gives you the general knowledge. Your workplace adds the site-specific parts:

• Your own plan: learn your site's fire safety plan or emergency response plan, including alarms, exits and equipment.
• Fire drills: the National Fire Code calls for drills for supervisory staff at least every 12 months, more often in some buildings. BC requires emergency drills at least once a year, with a record kept.
• Firefighting duties: in BC, workers assigned to fight fires need training from a qualified instructor and retraining at least once a year.