Fire protection officer

A fire protection officer is a specially trained person commissioned in writing by the employer who is responsible for fire protection in a company. The focus of the activity is on preventive fire protection .

Depending on the legal requirements, which are different in the individual countries, these entrepreneurial duties / tasks can be fulfilled by appointing a specially trained employee or by an externally appointed fire protection officer. The company's fire insurance can also take into account the appointment of a suitable person when determining the amount of the premium.

tasks

The fire protection officer should advise and support the person responsible for fire protection in a company (employer / company, operations manager, authority manager) as the central contact for all fire protection issues in the company. As a so-called staff function, he should provide direct advice to the entrepreneur / employer. The fire protection officer is therefore usually not a line manager and is not authorized to issue instructions.

Due to the same tasks in the different countries, the task list is similar everywhere. The German task list of the vfdb 12 / 09-01: 2009-03 describes an exclusively advisory and coordinating activity of a fire protection officer as follows:

Creation / updating of the fire protection regulations (parts A, B, C)
Participation in assessments of the fire hazard at workplaces
Advice on inflammable work processes and the use of flammable substances
Contribute to the identification of fire and explosion hazards
Participation in the development of operating instructions as far as they relate to fire protection
Participation in structural, technical and organizational measures as far as they relate to fire protection
Participation in the implementation of official orders and in the requirements of the fire insurer, insofar as they relate to fire protection
Participation in compliance with fire protection regulations for new buildings, conversions and extensions, changes in use, rentals and purchases
Advice on equipping workplaces with fire extinguishing equipment and selecting extinguishing agents
Participation in the implementation of the fire protection concept
Check that escape and rescue plans , fire brigade plans , alarm plans , etc. are up-to-date, if necessary arrange for updates and participate in them

Planning, organizing and carrying out evacuation exercises

Participation in official fire surveys and carrying out internal fire protection inspections

Report deficiencies and propose measures to eliminate them and monitor the elimination of deficiencies

Basic and advanced training of employees in the use of fire extinguishing equipment as well as employees with special tasks in the event of fire ( fire protection assistants )

Supporting the management in the regular training of the employees in fire protection

Checking the storage and / or the facilities for storing flammable liquids, gases, etc.

Checking the safety signs for fire protection devices and for the escape and rescue routes

Monitoring the usability of escape and rescue routes

Organization and assurance of testing and maintenance of fire protection equipment

Check that the specified fire protection measures are observed, especially in the case of hot work

Participation in determining replacement measures in the event of failure and decommissioning of fire protection equipment

Supporting the entrepreneur in talks with the fire protection authorities and fire brigades , the fire insurers, the employers' liability insurance association , the trade supervisory authorities, etc.

Opinion on investment decisions that relate to fire protection issues at the site

Documentation of all fire protection activities

Obligation to order

In Germany there is no general obligation to appoint a fire protection officer. However, the federal states can prescribe the order in their respective building laws. This applies in particular to hospitals, larger sales outlets and larger industrial buildings, as increased dangers are to be expected due to the high number of people in these buildings. In addition, the responsible building authority can request a fire protection officer for special structures.

The fire protection officer should be commissioned in writing between the company and the fire protection officer, stating the area of responsibility (company, part of the plant, building or department), a description of the task and the estimated time required. (Directive vfdb 12-09 / 01-2009-03: appointment, tasks, qualification and training of fire protection officers). Large companies usually have permanent fire protection officers. In smaller companies, a manager or contracted employee often does this in addition to their main job. If necessary, it is also advisable to use an external fire protection officer.

In Austria, at least one fire protection officer is required by the trade authority in the course of a permanent establishment permit. However, this requirement can be reinforced by setting up a company fire brigade.

education

Germany

There are no mandatory training regulations. It should be ensured that the course content is based on the training model of the CFPA-Europe , the trade association information (BGI), or the guidelines of the Association for the Promotion of German Fire Protection Directive 12-09 / 01-2009-03: Order, tasks , Qualification and training of fire protection officers. Afterwards, the training to become a fire protection officer lasts at least 64 teaching units of 45 minutes each (max. 10 teaching units per day) and concludes with an oral and written examination. The prerequisite for participating in the training is completed vocational training or equivalent training.

According to vfdb 12 / 09-01-2009-03, the following can only be ordered without a course to become a fire protection officer:

People who have completed training as a senior and senior fire service provider,
People who have completed training as a middle-level fire service for full-time employees, if they work full-time for the company in question and can prove that they have trained fire protection officers
People who have completed a university or technical college degree in fire protection.

A shortened training for specialists for occupational safety is no longer provided for in the reformed training due to the omitted fire protection content. However, in the training to become a fire protection officer, the course content can be adapted to the previous knowledge of the group of participants or to company-specific hazards and conditions, or key topics can be formed.

Austria

In Austria, the training courses are carried out by various institutions, such as the economic development institutes of the chambers of commerce or the fire brigade schools . However, it can also be carried out by private companies. TRVB O 117, 2006 edition is used as a set of rules for the training of fire protection officers throughout Austria . This guideline, which was published by the Austrian Federal Fire Brigade Association and the Austrian fire prevention agencies, contains a modular training plan.

Modules and seminars

Module 1:

Fire guard

No prerequisites are necessary. After a positive final test, the trainee receives a fire protection pass , which is valid for 5 years and which is extended with appropriate training according to TRVB O 117 for a further 5 years from the day of the training.

Module 2:

Fire protection officer

Module 1 is a prerequisite. After passing the exam, the trainee is entitled to be appointed as a fire protection officer. However, he may only perform his duties after the property-specific seminars (see usage-related and technical seminars). The same applies to the deputy fire protection officer, more details in TRVB O 117.

Module 3:

Fire protection group

Module 1 is a prerequisite. Fire protection groups are a "company fire brigade light". You support the fire protection officer in an emergency.

Usage-related seminars

N1: Companies with particular risk to people (hotels, schools, universities, office buildings, event locations, residential complexes, sales outlets, high-rise buildings, ...)
N2: Companies with an increased risk of fire (commercial and industrial plants, wood and paper processing companies, ...)
N3: Companies with particular risks (such as hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, ...)
N4: Companies with facilities that are particularly worthy of protection (such as historical buildings, IT rooms, ...)

Technical seminars

Fire alarm system
Smoke and heat extraction systems
Sprinkler systems
Gas extinguishing systems

Advanced training

The training to become a fire protection officer can only be viewed as the basis for his work. Regular further training is necessary for qualified task management. This means that the fire protection officer has to adapt or regularly refresh his specialist knowledge in the field of operational fire protection to current requirements as well as the changing rules and regulations.

The guideline vfdb 12-09 / 01-2009-03 - appointment, tasks, qualification and training of fire protection officers provides for the attendance of topic-related or branch-related seminars on system-related, organizational and structural fire protection, branch-related seminars on fire protection, specialization seminars (disaster control, Evacuation and evacuation, aviation, rail, etc.) or of specialist conferences with a total of at least 16 learning units of 45 minutes each within three years.

literature

Directive vfdb 12-09 / 01: 2009-03 (appointment, tasks, qualification and training of fire protection officers)

Trade association information DGUV Information 205-003 (formerly: BGI 847) (tasks, qualifications, training and appointment of fire protection officers ; PDF; 67 kB)

WJ Friedl, T. Hagelganz: Explanation of the tasks of fire protection officers: The 26 tasks of DGUV Information 205-003 explained in detail. In: Information on fire protection commission. Volume 1, 2019, ISBN 978-1-70398-018-9

Web links

Individual evidence

^ German statutory accident insurance (ed.): DGUV Information 205-003: Tasks, qualifications, training and appointment of fire protection officers . Berlin November 2014, p. 9 ( dguv.de [PDF]).

↑ Eulenpesch GmbH: Use of external fire protection officers . Retrieved May 24, 2020 .

[1] German statutory accident insurance (ed.): DGUV Information 205-003: Tasks, qualifications, training and appointment of fire protection officers . Berlin November 2014, p. 9 ( dguv.de [PDF]).