Please close your eyes. No wait, then you won’t be able to read this. Hmmm…okay, DON’T close your eyes, but go to that piece of your imagination that lets you see situations. And imagine this one. There is a fire at work. Flames, smoke, electricity off, alarms – the whole shebang. Now in this situation, would you be able to easily pick out your office fire marshal? In fact, do you even know who your fire marshall is?
Well, your workplace should have someone who is designated as the fire marshal – or fire warden as they are also known. This lucky person is the one who is trained in what to do if there is an emergency situation at work. So this person is not a trained firefighter, they are a ‘civilian’ who is trained to assist in fire evacuation procedures at work. The lucky things. Now, as I said before – do you know who your fire marshal is? You might know their name (perhaps), but in a large organisation a name is not always enough. Just knowing someone’s name won’t help in an emergency situation. So, the lovely folk at Fire Protection Online have some tip-top products that will assist you in instant fire marshal recognition.
The first of these products is a hi-vis fire marshal vest. This vest does exactly what it says on the tin. It is a vest for your fire marshal which will make them highly visible, because fortunately not everyone wanders around wearing luminous yellow outerwear (or, in fact, underwear one hopes!). This ultra-fashionable item should alert you to the fact that the person wearing it is a fire marshal, as it has the words ‘fire marshal’ on it. Simple, but effective.
My favourite item though, has to be the megaphone. Imagine hearing my dulcet tones magnified across vast acres of space. A sight (or sound) to behold, I’m sure you’ll agree. One of these little bad boys will ensure that your fire marshal will be heard loud and clear – and in an emergency, that is exactly what you need.
And last (for today), but not least, there is the lightstick. Now I hear lightstick and immediately get images of all-night raves and nightclubs leaping into my imagination. However, the ones I am talking about are bigger, better and brighter. These sticks last for a whopping 12 hours, and come in a variety of colours (just to make sure things look pretty whilst also being safe). When emergencies hit, and electricity fails, these lightsticks will light the way for your safe escape.
As you can see from the few bits I have talked about here, there re many ways to equip a fire marshal, but don’t forget that effective training is just as important. Happy marshalling!
