Every UK workplace must have people who know what to do when the alarm sounds. Those people are your fire marshals (or fire wardens). This guide explains what the law requires, the day-to-day and emergency responsibilities of a fire marshal, what training they need, and how to work out how many you need. It is written by Citi Guard Services, who supply trained fire marshals and fire watch officers to businesses across London.
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the “responsible person” to appoint enough competent people to carry out fire safety measures.
- Fire marshals prevent fires day to day and lead evacuations in an emergency.
- A common ratio is 1 marshal per 50 staff (low risk), 1 per 20 (medium) and 1 per 15 (high), with extra cover for shifts, absence and each floor.
- When alarms or sprinklers are out of action, a fire watch is usually required until they are restored.
What the law says
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to virtually all non-domestic premises in England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland have equivalent legislation). It makes the employer, owner or occupier the “responsible person” and requires them to carry out a fire risk assessment, put in place appropriate measures, and under Article 18 appoint one or more competent persons to assist. Article 15 also requires nominated employees to implement evacuation procedures. Fire marshals are how most organisations meet those duties. Failure to comply can lead to enforcement notices, unlimited fines and, in serious cases, prosecution of directors.
Fire marshal responsibilities
Day-to-day prevention
- Carrying out regular checks of fire exits, escape routes, fire doors and signage, and reporting anything blocked, wedged open or damaged.
- Checking that extinguishers, alarm call points and emergency lighting are in place, serviced and unobstructed.
- Identifying and reporting hazards such as overloaded sockets, waste build-up, poor storage of flammables and faulty equipment.
- Supporting fire drills, testing the alarm weekly and recording results in the fire log book.
- Helping to keep the fire risk assessment up to date and briefing new staff, contractors and visitors on procedures.
In an emergency
- Raising the alarm and calling the fire and rescue service if it is not done automatically.
- Directing people to the nearest safe exit and preventing the use of lifts.
- Sweeping their designated area, including toilets, meeting rooms and plant rooms, to confirm everyone has left.
- Assisting people who need help to evacuate, following Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs).
- Closing doors behind them to slow fire spread, without putting themselves at risk.
- Reporting to the assembly point, carrying out the roll call and briefing the fire service on who may still be inside.
- Tackling a small fire with the correct extinguisher only if it is safe and they are trained to do so.
How many fire marshals do you need?
The Order requires a “sufficient number”, and your fire risk assessment is the only legally defensible way to set that number. The ratios below are widely used as a starting point:
| Risk level | Typical premises | Guide ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Small offices, shops with few flammables, simple layouts | 1 marshal per 50 people |
| Medium | Larger offices, hotels, schools, warehouses, retail with stock rooms | 1 marshal per 20 people |
| High | Care homes, manufacturing, sites with flammables, sleeping accommodation | 1 marshal per 15 people |
Then add cover so that a trained marshal is always on the premises: every floor and every separate building needs at least one, and you need extra people for shifts, holidays and sickness. As a rule of thumb, train roughly twice the minimum number.
Training and refresher requirements
Fire marshal training normally takes half a day and covers fire behaviour, prevention, evacuation management, the use of extinguishers and the marshal’s legal role. Refresher training every two to three years is the accepted standard, sooner if the premises, layout or risk changes. Keep certificates with your fire risk assessment; enforcement officers will ask for them.
Fire watch: when your systems are out of action
If your fire alarm, sprinklers or detection are impaired, whether by a fault, building works or an upgrade, the building’s fire strategy no longer works as designed. Your insurer and the local fire and rescue service will usually expect a fire watch: trained officers patrolling continuously, checking each area at set intervals, ready to raise the alarm and start an evacuation manually. The same applies during hot works such as welding or roofing. Citi Guard provides fire watch officers at short notice, often within hours, and our officers can double as security cover.
When to bring in professional fire marshals
Many organisations train their own staff, but there are situations where dedicated professionals make sense: buildings with impaired systems, events and temporary structures, construction sites, multi-tenanted buildings where no single employer covers the common areas, and workplaces with high turnover where trained marshals keep leaving. Our officers hold fire marshal and first aid qualifications and can be combined with manned guarding or event security so one team covers both.
Need fire marshals or a fire watch?
Trained fire marshals and fire watch officers available across London and the South East, with rapid mobilisation for impaired systems.
Frequently asked questions
How many fire marshals do I need?
The law requires a "sufficient number" of competent people, decided by your fire risk assessment. Widely used guidance is one fire marshal per 50 staff in low-risk premises, one per 20 in medium-risk and one per 15 in high-risk, plus cover for shifts, holidays and each floor or building.
Is a fire marshal the same as a fire warden?
In practice the terms are used interchangeably in the UK. Some organisations use "warden" for the person who sweeps an area and "marshal" for the person coordinating the evacuation, but the law does not distinguish between them.
Is fire marshal training a legal requirement?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to appoint competent persons to assist with fire safety. Competence normally means completing recognised fire marshal training and refreshing it every two to three years.
What is a fire watch?
A fire watch is continuous patrolling of a building by trained personnel when a fire alarm or sprinkler system is impaired, or during hot works. Insurers and fire and rescue services often require it until the system is restored.
