What is Fire Marshal / Fire Warden training?

Key facts

• Legal driver: the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which requires every non-domestic workplace to have a “responsible person” for fire safety. That role normally appoints fire marshals.
• Course length: typically half a day, classroom plus practical extinguisher demonstration.
• Refresher: every 12 months is the most common cycle, especially where the role includes a live evacuation responsibility.
• Who needs it: designated fire marshals on every workplace. The number required is set by the workplace fire risk assessment.
• “Fire Marshal” and “Fire Warden” are the same role, different terminology. The training is identical.
• A fire risk assessment, separately, is a legal requirement for the workplace under the same 2005 Order.

What the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires

The 2005 Order, often shortened to the Fire Safety Order or RRFSO, sets the legal framework for fire safety in non-domestic workplaces in England and Wales. (Scotland and Northern Ireland have parallel legislation.) The Order requires the “responsible person” (typically the employer, occupier or owner) to:

• Carry out a written fire risk assessment of the workplace, reviewed regularly.
• Identify and protect people at risk, including employees, visitors and those with mobility needs.
• Eliminate or reduce the risks identified.
• Plan for an emergency: detection systems, alarms, evacuation routes, assembly points.
• Provide information, instruction and training to employees.

The training duty is what fire marshal training meets. The responsible person delegates the front-line evacuation role to fire marshals trained for the purpose.

What does a Fire Marshal actually do?

A fire marshal carries three main duties:

1. Day-to-day fire prevention. Checking that fire doors are not wedged, escape routes are clear, electrical equipment is in good order, hot works are following the permit system, and combustibles are stored away from ignition sources.
2. In the event of an alarm. Sweeping the assigned area to make sure everyone has heard the alarm and evacuated, helping anyone with mobility needs to reach the assembly point, closing fire doors as part of the sweep, and reporting to the responsible person at the assembly point.
3. First-aid firefighting. Using a fire extinguisher on a small, contained fire only where doing so is safe, the marshal’s escape route is protected, and the marshal has been trained on the extinguisher type required.

A fire marshal is not a firefighter. The default action on discovering a fire is to raise the alarm and evacuate, not to fight the fire.

What the half-day Fire Marshal course covers

The MPTT half-day Fire Marshal course (also titled Fire Warden Training) covers: fire chemistry (the fire triangle, classes of fire A–F, fire spread mechanisms), the role of the fire marshal under the 2005 Order, evacuation procedures and roll call, types of fire extinguisher (water, foam, CO2, dry powder, wet chemical) and which to use on which class of fire, practical extinguisher demonstration with simulated fires, fire doors and compartmentalisation, and incident reporting. Delivered classroom-based with a practical extinguisher session outside.

How many Fire Marshals does a workplace actually need?

There is no fixed legal ratio. The workplace fire risk assessment sets the number based on the size of the building, the number of floors, the number of occupants, the working hours and the level of fire risk. A practical baseline for an office or single-floor workshop: 1 fire marshal per 20–30 occupants, with at least 2 marshals on any working day to allow for absence. Multi-floor buildings need a marshal per floor as a minimum. High-risk operations (hot works, flammable storage, kitchens) need additional cover.

How often should Fire Marshals refresh their training?

Every 12 months is the construction-sector norm. The 2005 Order does not set a fixed cycle, but the role carries enough live-evacuation responsibility that annual refreshers keep procedures and extinguisher technique sharp. Where the workforce is stable and procedures have not changed, a 2-year cycle is sometimes accepted. Where the building, the layout or the risk assessment has changed, refresh immediately.

Where Fire Marshal training fits in the wider H&S programme

Fire Marshal sits alongside First Aid at Work, COSHH and Manual Handling on the standing awareness programme. On construction sites, fire risk also overlaps with hot works permits, flammable substance storage under DSEAR, and the COSHH assessment for solvent paints and aerosols. IOSH Managing Safely covers fire safety at supervisor level; Fire Marshal training is the practical front-line course that sits underneath.

Related questions

• How long is a First Aid at Work certificate valid for?
• What is COSHH training and who needs it?
• How long is Manual Handling training valid for?
• What is Mental Health First Aid training?
• IOSH Working Safely vs Managing Safely?

Quick answers to related questions

Is Fire Marshal training legally required?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to provide fire safety information, instruction and training to employees. Where the workplace appoints fire marshals (the normal arrangement), formal Fire Marshal training is the standard way to meet that duty for those individuals.

How often should Fire Marshals refresh?

Every 12 months in most construction settings. The Order does not set a fixed cycle, but the live-evacuation responsibility justifies an annual refresher. Refresh immediately if the building, layout or risk assessment changes.

What is the difference between a Fire Marshal and a Fire Warden?

Nothing. Different organisations use different terminology for the same role. The training, duties and accountability are identical.

Last updated: 2026-05-21. Reviewed by the MPTT health and safety training team, IOSH- and NEBOSH-accredited instructors.