On-Site Fire Extinguisher Training and Live Demonstrations
California requires you to train your employees on fire extinguisher use when they are hired and every year after that. Training is the third of the three things Cal/OSHA cites employers for most often, alongside placement and maintenance records. Bayside Fire Protection comes to your site, trains your staff, and runs a live demonstration so your employees are prepared in using an extinguisher in the event of an actual fire.
What California requires
Employers must train employees annually, and upon hire, on:
How to use a fire extinguisher
The specific fire hazards present in your workplace
Reporting protocols
Fire evacuation procedures
Exit paths and the path of egress
What we cover on site
How to use an extinguisher correctly
Every extinguisher carries instructions on its front label, but nobody has time to read a label during a fire. We walk staff through it physically: grab the extinguisher by the bottom handle, turn the pull pin like a car key to break the tamper seal, remove the pull pin, aim the hose at the base of the fire, stand back about 8 feet, and squeeze the top handle. The powder expels, and you sweep back and forth across the base of the fire.
Aiming at the flames instead of the base of the fire is the single most common mistake, and it can push the flames onto other surroundings. Class sizes range from 3 to 20 people, and we can do multiple classes on one visit to accommodate your staffing situation.
The right extinguisher for the fire in front of you
We cover which unit to reach for in your specific environment. Using a dry powder extinguisher on a grease fire in a commercial kitchen, or water on an electrical fire, makes the situation worse. Staff need to know what is on the wall and why.
The fires that actually happen
Stovetop fires, electrical fires, a cigarette in a trash can, and dryer lint fires. We train on the realistic scenarios for your site rather than a generic curriculum.
When not to fight the fire
Part of training is knowing when to put the extinguisher down and get people out. We cover evacuation, exit paths, and reporting so your staff are not making the decision for the first time under pressure. That plan depends on working emergency lighting and exit signs.
Live fire safety demonstrations
We run hands-on demonstrations where employees discharge a unit and feel how it behaves. Reading about an extinguisher and firing one are two different experiences. Live discharge requires an outdoor area.
Documentation
We provide records for your compliance filed so the paperwork is there when Cal/OSHA or your insurance carrier asks. Training sits on the same calendar as your annual inspections and tagging.