Fire protection training is not a formality. It is meant to teach you how to stop a fire starting and, if one does, where to go and whom to call. This lesson explains what the law says about training and what the employer must still do even if you have completed this course.
Who must provide training
Under § 16 of the Fire Protection Act (No. 133/1985 Sb.), employers that carry out activities with increased or high fire risk must provide regular fire protection training for employees. The duty covers everyone who is in an employment or similar relationship with the employer. That is why employers usually also train people working on an agreement (brigádníci, dohoda). Check this with your employer.
Activities without increased fire risk, for example ordinary office work, do not have this special duty under the Act. Even so, the employer must, as part of safety at work (Labour Code, § 103), make you familiar with the risks of your work. These include what to do in a fire and how to evacuate. Many companies therefore train fire protection in the same way as other topics.
What the training should cover
Decree No. 246/2001 Sb. (§ 23) says that employee training covers familiarisation with:
- the organisation of fire protection and basic duties,
- the fire risks of the activities carried out at your workplace,
- the fire regulations (požární řád), the fire alarm instructions (požární poplachové směrnice) and, where applicable, the evacuation plan,
- special requirements for operating and handling equipment in a fire,
- fire protection during reduced operation and outside working hours,
- the location and use of extinguishers and other fire protection equipment at the workplace,
- the function of fire safety equipment, for example detectors.
The employer sets the scope and content in a topic plan and a timetable. They must match the activities and the job (§ 26).
When and how often
Under § 23 of the Decree, employee training takes place:
- when starting work,
- on every change of workplace or job, if this changes what you must be familiarised with,
- repeatedly, at least every 2 years.
Managers are trained separately when they take up the post and repeatedly at least every 3 years. People entrusted with guarding the premises during reduced operation and outside working hours are trained before they begin and then once a year. Employees assigned to preventive fire patrols and fire protection officers (preventista požární ochrany) have specialist preparation that is repeated at least once a year. These are special roles, and the employer arranges them separately.
Knowledge is checked in the way set by the fire protection documentation. Most often it is an oral or written test.
Who trains
The Act (§ 16a) distinguishes by category of activity. For activities with increased risk:
- managers are trained by a professionally qualified person (odborně způsobilá osoba) or a fire protection technician (technik požární ochrany),
- other employees are trained by a trained manager or a fire protection officer (preventista).
For activities with high risk, other employees are trained by a fire protection technician or a trained manager. A professionally qualified person and a fire protection technician are people with a professional qualification under the Act (§ 11), obtained by an examination.
The training record
The employer keeps training documentation (Decree, § 36). The record of a completed training contains:
- the employer's name and the date,
- the content of the training,
- how knowledge was checked,
- the duration,
- a list of the people trained, with their signatures,
- the name and signature of the trainer, including a declaration that the trainer was authorised under § 16a of the Act.
The record can be kept in an electronic system if it protects the records from alteration and proves the attendance of the trainer and of those trained (§ 36(3)). Training is also entered in the fire log book (požární kniha, § 37).
What this course is and is not
This course is the general part. It explains basic rules that are the same at most workplaces. It replaces only part of the training and does not replace training at your employer.
The employer must always:
- introduce you to the fire regulations and fire alarm instructions of your workplace,
- show you the escape routes, the assembly point and the evacuation plan,
- show you where the extinguishers and hydrants are and how they are used at your workplace,
- explain the fire risks of your particular job,
- check your knowledge and keep a training record with signatures.
For activities with increased or high risk, the training must be given by an authorised person under § 16a. The certificate from this course is not a training record under the Decree and does not replace one. It is only proof that you have gone through the general part and passed the test. Whether the employer uses it is the employer's decision.
Summary
- Regular fire protection training is required by law (§ 16) of employers with activities of increased or high fire risk.
- Employees are trained when they start, when their work changes and at least every 2 years, managers at least every 3 years.
- An authorised person under § 16a trains. The record must contain signatures.
- This course is only the general part. The employer must show you the things specific to your workplace.