Fire Safety Awareness
Course Overview
Fire Safety Awareness Training gives all staff the knowledge to understand fire risks, reduce hazards, respond correctly when something goes wrong, and understand their role within the organisation’s emergency procedures. It is not fire marshal training. It does not train staff to lead evacuations or take tactical responsibility for fire safety. What it does is ensure that every member of the team understands the basics, knows what to do, and is not a liability in the critical first minutes of a fire emergency.
Most staff in most workplaces have sat through a fire safety induction at some point. They have been told where the fire exits are, shown a slide about the fire triangle, and signed a form. And then, in a care home in the North West, a training session revealed that nobody on the team knew where their alarm control panel was. Nobody could describe the evacuation process. There were no grab bags. And nobody had considered that a night shift running on minimum staffing levels faces an entirely different evacuation challenge than a full daytime team.
This is not an unusual finding. It is what happens when fire safety training is treated as a compliance exercise rather than a genuine preparation for an emergency.
Where organisations want us to, we can also conduct a walkthrough of your premises during or following training and provide a written report for the manager identifying recommendations. For the care home described above, the report gave the management team a clear action plan to implement the changes needed. We do not just train and leave. If your setting needs more than a course, we will tell you.
The course reflects the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, as strengthened by the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, and aligns with guidance from the Health and Safety Executive and the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Course Details
- Duration: Half Day (3 hours)
- Delivery: In-person at your venue, live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, or eLearning
- Certificate: CPD-accredited certificate of achievement in Fire Safety Awareness
- Refresher: Every 2 to 3 years, or sooner, following changes to the workplace, procedures, or following any fire incident
- Group size: Up to 12 learners
Who This Course Is For
This course is right for all staff in any workplace setting, including:
- All employees requiring fire safety awareness as part of induction or ongoing compliance
- New starters across any sector
- Office, retail, hospitality, warehouse, and care setting staff
- Supervisors and team leaders who are not designated fire marshals but who have day-to-day responsibility for their team’s safety
- Organisations wanting to build or reinforce a proactive fire prevention culture across the whole workforce
For staff who are appointed as fire marshals or fire wardens with specific evacuation leadership responsibilities, see our Fire Marshal Training course, which covers the designated marshal role in full.
Why This Fire Safety Awareness Training Matters
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, employers and responsible persons have a legal duty to ensure that employees receive adequate fire safety training. The Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 have strengthened and extended those obligations, particularly around fire doors, multi-occupied buildings, and the provision of fire safety information to occupants.
Adequate fire safety training under the Order is not a one-off induction slide. It means staff understand how fires start and spread, know the emergency procedures for their specific workplace, can identify hazards and act on them, and know exactly what to do the moment something goes wrong. An employee who freezes, makes the wrong decision, or simply does not know where the call point is in the first sixty seconds of a fire can cost lives, including their own.
In care settings, the stakes are particularly high. Many individuals in residential and nursing care cannot self-evacuate. Night shifts operate with reduced staffing. Grab bags containing resident information, medication records, and evacuation documentation may need to be taken out of the building quickly. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans must exist, be understood, and be accessible to the staff on duty. A care setting where none of these things are in place is not just non-compliant. It is dangerous.
For organisations regulated by the Care Quality Commission, fire safety falls directly within Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment). CQC inspectors look at fire safety arrangements, staff training records, and whether evacuation procedures reflect the actual staffing levels and resident needs present in the building.
What You Will Learn
By the end of the session, learners will be able to:
- Explain how fires start and spread, and understand the fire triangle
- Identify common fire hazards in their specific workplace and take action to reduce them
- Understand the legal duties of employers and employees under current fire safety legislation
- Explain what a fire risk assessment is and why it must be current and reviewed
- Locate and understand the alarm control panel and call points in their building
- Describe the correct response when discovering a fire or hearing a fire alarm
- Understand their organisation’s evacuation procedure, including assembly points, roll call, and communication with emergency services
- Understand Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans and their role in supporting individuals who cannot self-evacuate
- Recognise the different types of fire extinguishers
- Understand fire prevention through good housekeeping, safe working practices, and hazard reporting
Course Content
Content is adapted to your sector, premises, and evacuation procedures. Topics covered include:
- The legal framework
- Employer and employee duties
- The fire triangle
- Common workplace fire hazards
- Fire risk assessments
- Alarm systems and call points
- Emergency evacuation procedures
- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans
- Evacuation planning for high-risk scenarios
- Grab bags and critical documentation
- Fire signage and safety equipment
- Introduction to fire extinguisher types and uses
- Fire prevention through housekeeping and safe working
The Premises Walkthrough and Report
For organisations that want to go beyond the training session, we offer a premises walkthrough during or following delivery.
During the walkthrough, our trainer reviews your evacuation routes, fire exits, call point locations, assembly points, fire door compliance, and any visible hazards or procedural gaps. For care settings, this includes reviewing PEEP arrangements, grab bag provision, and the practicalities of your evacuation plan against your actual staffing levels, including night shifts.
Following the walkthrough, we produce a written report for the manager, setting out our observations and recommendations. This gives the organisation a clear, actionable plan to implement the improvements identified.
This is not a formal fire risk assessment, which must be carried out by a competent fire risk assessor. It is a practical, experience-based review that helps organisations understand what their training has revealed and what needs to change.
If you would like to include a walkthrough and written report alongside your training, discuss this with us when you enquire.
How the Course Is Delivered
Sessions are interactive, discussion-based, and built around your specific workplace rather than a generic setting. We do not deliver slides disconnected from the premises where your staff actually work.
Delivery options include:
- In-person at your workplace, including a walkthrough of relevant areas where helpful
- Live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams for teams in multiple locations or where in-person delivery is not practical
- eLearning for organisations requiring flexible, self-paced completion
For in-person delivery, content is prepared around your building, your evacuation procedures, and the specific risks relevant to your sector. Learners leave knowing their own building, not a fictional one.
Certification and Validity
On completion, learners receive a CPD-accredited certificate of achievement in Fire Safety Awareness.
A refresher is recommended every 2 to 3 years, or sooner if the workplace layout changes, fire procedures are updated, following any fire incident or near miss, or following significant staff turnover. In care settings, the refresher cycle should also be reviewed whenever there are significant changes to the resident or service user profile that affect evacuation needs.
In-House and Bespoke Training
We adapt every session to your organisation, your sector, and your specific fire safety circumstances.
We can tailor content for:
- Care homes, nursing homes, and supported living settings, including grab bag implementation, PEEP compliance, and night shift evacuation planning
- Offices, retail environments, hospitality venues, and professional services organisations
- Schools, colleges, and education settings
- Industrial, warehouse, and manufacturing environments with sector-specific fire risks
Course Location and Service Areas
We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.
For teams in multiple locations or with remote workers, this course is available live online via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, or via eLearning where flexible self-paced completion is needed.
All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Every trainer holds an Enhanced DBS certificate.
FAQs
What is the difference between this course and Fire Marshal Training?
Fire Safety Awareness is for all staff. It covers what every employee needs to know about fire safety, hazard recognition, and emergency procedures. Fire Marshal Training is for designated fire marshals and wardens who have specific responsibilities for leading evacuations, sweeping areas, coordinating with emergency services, and maintaining fire safety arrangements. Both courses are legally relevant, but they serve different roles. If you are unsure what your team needs, get in touch, and we will advise.
What is a grab bag, and does my organisation need one?
A grab bag is a prepared bag/container, typically kept near the main exit, that contains critical documentation and items needed in an evacuation, such as the building floor plan, a copy of any PEEPs, and torches, foil blankets, etc. In a real fire emergency, there is no time to gather this information. Having it ready to carry out removes that problem. For care homes and residential settings, grab bags are a practical necessity and form part of a well-structured evacuation plan. This course covers what they should contain and why they matter.
Does this course include practical fire extinguisher use?
No. This course covers fire extinguisher types and their uses at an awareness level, including which class of fire each extinguisher is appropriate for and why using the wrong one can be dangerous. Practical live fire extinguisher discharge is available through our Fire Marshal Training course on request, subject to suitable outdoor space being available.
What should a night shift evacuation plan look like?
Night evacuation plans must reflect the actual staffing levels and resident dependency needs present during the night. A care home running on two or three staff cannot evacuate using the same procedure as a fully staffed daytime shift. The plan must be specific: which staff member is responsible for which areas, what the evacuation order is, which residents have PEEPs, where the evacuation equipment is, and at what point emergency services are called and additional support requested. This course covers night shift evacuation planning specifically for care settings.
Related Courses
- Fire Marshal / Fire Warden Training
- Emergency First Aid at Work
- Health & Safety Awareness Training
- Risk Assessment Training
Book or Enquire
To book Fire Safety Awareness Training or request a quote for your team, use the enquiry form on this page or contact us directly. If you want to discuss including a premises walkthrough and written report, or combining this course with Fire Marshal Training or other health and safety provisions, get in touch, and we will help you work out the right approach for your organisation.
Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance
At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.
All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.
This course is reviewed against updates from the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Health and Safety Executive, the Care Quality Commission, and current UK fire safety legislation, including the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.
Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura | Training 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: April 2026 | Next review: April 2027
This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK fire safety legislation and best practice as of the date of review. It does not constitute legal advice. Fire Safety Awareness Training supports compliance with employer duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, but does not replace the legal requirement for a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment to be carried out by a competent person. The premises walkthrough and written report offered alongside this training is an observational review and does not constitute a formal fire risk assessment. Organisations remain responsible for ensuring their fire risk assessments, Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans, evacuation procedures, and staff training meet all applicable legal obligations.
