Building Fire Safety Course

Lesson 1 • Common Fire Hazards in Buildings

Identifies ignition sources, fuel loads, and environmental conditions that elevate fire risk. Grounds hazard recognition skills used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Building Classification and Occupancy

Defines occupancy types and construction classifications that determine fire safety requirements. Enables accurate identification of applicable code provisions for any building.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory and Code Framework

Introduces fire safety codes, standards bodies, and inspection authority. Connects regulatory obligations to practical compliance decisions made by building professionals.

Lesson 1 • Writing and Managing Assessment Reports

Covers report structure, clear finding statements, and action-tracking systems. Ensures assessments are actionable, auditable, and legally defensible.

Lesson 2 • Conducting a Building Fire Survey

Guides systematic physical inspection of a building to locate fire hazards and deficiencies. Translates risk methodology into observable, field-ready inspection practice.

Lesson 3 • Evaluating Existing Protective Measures

Assesses the adequacy of installed fire protection systems and procedural controls. Connects physical findings to risk reduction credit within the overall assessment.

Lesson 1 • Compartmentation Principles

Explains how fire-rated barriers limit fire and smoke spread between building zones. Establishes the logic of compartment design that underpins all passive protection decisions.

Lesson 2 • Penetration Sealing and Firestopping

Addresses methods for maintaining fire-rated assembly integrity where services penetrate barriers. Prevents the most frequent cause of compartmentation failure.

Lesson 3 • Fire-Rated Doors and Openings

Covers rating requirements, hardware specifications, and common deficiencies for fire doors and frames. Directly supports compartmentation integrity assessments.

Lesson 4 • Interior Finish and Material Compliance

Evaluates flame spread and smoke development ratings for interior materials. Ensures material selection meets occupancy-specific code requirements.

Lesson 1 • Suppression System Inspection and Testing

Details required inspection, testing, and maintenance frequencies for suppression systems. Ensures systems remain operationally ready and compliant with regulatory schedules.

Lesson 2 • Portable Fire Extinguishers

Covers extinguisher classification, placement rules, and selection criteria for specific hazards. Enables correct specification and inspection of portable extinguisher programs.

Lesson 3 • Special Hazard Suppression Systems

Introduces gaseous, foam, and water mist systems used in high-value or special-hazard areas. Expands suppression knowledge beyond standard sprinkler applications.

Lesson 1 • Fire Alarm Control Panel Functions

Explains control panel architecture, zone configuration, and system supervision features. Connects panel design to reliable alarm initiation and trouble signal management.

Lesson 2 • Notification Appliances and Coverage

Covers audible and visual notification appliance requirements for occupant alerting. Ensures alarm signals reach all building areas with required intensity and intelligibility.

Lesson 3 • System Testing and Maintenance

Details inspection frequencies, functional test procedures, and documentation standards for alarm systems. Maintains system reliability and satisfies regulatory compliance schedules.

Lesson 1 • Exit Signage and Emergency Lighting

Covers placement, illumination levels, and backup power requirements for exit signs and emergency lighting. Ensures occupants can navigate egress paths during power failure.

Lesson 2 • Occupant Load and Exit Capacity

Covers methods for calculating occupant load and required exit width. Ensures egress capacity matches the number of occupants for any space configuration.

Lesson 3 • Accessible Egress for All Occupants

Addresses egress provisions for occupants with mobility, sensory, and cognitive limitations. Integrates accessibility requirements into compliant egress design.

Lesson 4 • Travel Distance and Dead-End Limits

Explains maximum travel distance and dead-end corridor limits by occupancy and sprinkler status. Identifies non-compliant egress paths requiring redesign or mitigation.

Lesson 1 • Coordinating with Emergency Services

Covers pre-incident planning with fire departments and information sharing protocols. Improves emergency service response effectiveness through advance coordination.

Lesson 2 • Emergency Action Plan Development

Covers required plan elements, stakeholder input processes, and documentation standards. Produces a structured plan that meets regulatory requirements and operational needs.

Lesson 3 • Evacuation Roles and Responsibilities

Defines warden, floor monitor, and command roles within the evacuation structure. Ensures clear accountability during an emergency event.

Lesson 4 • Shelter-in-Place and Defend-in-Place

Explains when and how to implement shelter-in-place or defend-in-place strategies. Addresses occupancies where full evacuation is impractical or contraindicated.

Lesson 1 • Training and Competency Management

Defines training requirements by role, delivery methods, and competency verification approaches. Ensures all personnel maintain current fire safety knowledge and skills.

Lesson 2 • Managing Change and Hot Work

Addresses management-of-change procedures for renovations and hot work permit systems. Prevents fire risk introduction during construction, maintenance, and operational changes.

Lesson 3 • Incident Investigation and Continuous Improvement

Covers near-miss and incident investigation methods and corrective action implementation. Drives systemic improvement by converting incidents into preventive learning.

Lesson 4 • Fire Safety Management System Structure

Introduces management system elements including policy, roles, objectives, and review cycles. Provides the governance framework that integrates all fire safety activities.