Do You Legally Need Fire Warden Training? UK Requirements Explained

No UK law says every workplace must have a "fire warden", and there is no five-employee threshold. What the law does require, in England and Wales, is that the responsible person nominates a sufficient number of competent people to carry out evacuation procedures and gives staff adequate fire safety training. For most workplaces, that means appointing fire wardens (often called fire marshals) and training them for the role. This guide explains what the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 actually says, where the "five or more staff" idea comes from, how many wardens you need and how often to refresh their training.

If you already know you need wardens and want to compare courses, read our guide to choosing a fire warden course.

The short answer

• The law does not use the words "fire warden". It requires "a sufficient number of competent persons" to implement your evacuation procedures.
• There is no minimum headcount. The duties apply to the responsible person for almost all non-domestic premises, whatever the number of staff.
• Training is part of the duty. Staff must receive adequate fire safety training, and a person only counts as competent if they have sufficient training and experience or knowledge.
• No law sets a warden ratio or a fixed refresh period. Both should come from your fire risk assessment.

What the Fire Safety Order requires

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places duties on the "responsible person". GOV.UK says that is the employer, owner, landlord, occupier or anyone else with control of the premises, such as a facilities manager or managing agent. Three articles sit behind the warden role:

• Article 15 requires appropriate procedures for serious and imminent danger, including safety drills, and the nomination of "a sufficient number of competent persons to implement those procedures in so far as they relate to the evacuation of relevant persons from the premises".
• Article 18 requires one or more competent persons to help with preventive and protective measures. A person is competent where they have "sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities" to do this properly.
• Article 21 requires adequate safety training when staff are first employed and when they face new or increased risks, for example a change of responsibilities, new equipment or a new system of work. Training must be repeated periodically where appropriate and take place during working hours.

Put together, if your emergency plan relies on certain people to sweep areas, guide others out and report at the assembly point, those people need training that matches the role.

Where the "five or more staff" rule comes from

Many older guides say fire wardens are only needed in workplaces with five or more employees. That was never a rule about wardens. Before 1 October 2023, the Order only required a written record of the significant findings of the fire risk assessment where there were five or more employees, or where a licence or alterations notice applied.

Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 removed that limit. The government's section 156 guidance now says you must record the fire risk assessment in full, and the fire safety arrangements for your premises, "in all circumstances".

So a three-person office still needs a fire risk assessment, an emergency plan, someone nominated to lead an evacuation and trained staff. In a very small business, that person may be the owner.

How many fire wardens do you need?

The law sets no ratio. Figures such as "one warden per 50 staff" do not appear in the Order or in the government's fire safety guides. The government guide Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops says you must appoint one or more competent persons "depending on the size and use of your premises".

Base the number on your fire risk assessment. Useful questions include:

• Can each warden check their whole area quickly, including toilets, stores and meeting rooms?
• How many floors, buildings or separate zones are there?
• Do you run shifts, nights, weekends or lone working?
• Who covers holidays, sickness and days off site?
• Do visitors, members of the public or people who need help to escape use the premises?
• Does your plan expect anyone to use firefighting equipment?

Aim for every area to be covered on every shift, with a named deputy for each warden.

How often should fire warden training be refreshed?

No law sets a fixed period, so any claim of a legal 12-month refresh is wrong. Article 21 says training must be "repeated periodically where appropriate" and adapted when risks change. The government's offices and shops guide says staff should attend refresher sessions "at pre-determined intervals" and that training "should be repeated as often as necessary".

In practice, set a refresh interval in your fire safety arrangements, record it and stick to it. Retrain sooner when the layout, occupancy, processes or emergency plan change, when a drill shows gaps, or when a warden moves to a different area. GOV.UK also says you should carry out at least one fire drill per year and record the results.

Who enforces fire safety, and what can happen

For most workplaces, the enforcing authority is the local fire and rescue authority, not HSE (article 25). HSE enforces the Order on construction sites and certain ships, and other bodies cover specialist premises such as nuclear sites and armed forces premises.

According to GOV.UK, the fire and rescue authority can issue an alterations notice, an enforcement notice setting out the improvements needed and by when, or a prohibition notice that restricts access to the premises with immediate effect. Minor penalties can be up to GBP 5,000, and major penalties can mean unlimited fines and up to two years in prison (article 32).

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The Fire Safety Order covers England and Wales. Scotland has its own framework under Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Northern Ireland uses the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. The principles are similar, risk assessment, emergency procedures and staff training, but check the local guidance for your nation.

What records to keep

• Your fire risk assessment in full and your fire safety arrangements, which every responsible person in England and Wales has had to record since 1 October 2023.
• The names of your fire wardens and deputies, by area and shift.
• Training dates, the course taken, certificate details and the planned refresh date.
• Fire drill dates, results and any actions taken.

Is fire safety awareness training enough for wardens?

No. The government's offices and shops guide says all staff should receive basic fire safety induction training, but staff expected to act as fire marshals "would require more comprehensive training". It lists topics such as the fire safety strategy of the premises, human behaviour in fires, safe searching, helping people who may have difficulty escaping, firefighting equipment and reporting faults and near misses.

An online course can cover that knowledge consistently, but competence also depends on knowing your building. Pair the course with a walk-round of escape routes, call points, refuges and the assembly point, and give each new warden a role in the next drill. If your plan expects wardens to use extinguishers, add hands-on extinguisher training.

The CPD-accredited learndirect Fire Warden Training course takes about 90 minutes, carries 1.5 CPD hours and ends with an assessment and an instant certificate recognised by UK employers. The course costs GBP 25 + VAT per learner. For teams, 10 learners cost GBP 212.50, 25 learners GBP 468.75, 50 learners GBP 812.50 and 100 learners GBP 1,375.

Common questions

Is fire warden training a legal requirement?
Not by that name. The Fire Safety Order requires the responsible person to nominate a sufficient number of competent persons to carry out evacuation procedures and to give staff adequate fire safety training. Training your wardens is the usual way to show they are competent.

Do businesses with fewer than five staff need a fire warden?
The fire safety duties have no headcount threshold. The old five-employee rule only affected whether the fire risk assessment had to be written down, and it was removed on 1 October 2023. A small business still needs someone nominated to lead an evacuation, which may be the owner.

Is there a legal ratio of fire wardens to staff?
No. The number should reflect the size, layout, use and risks of your premises, plus shifts and absence cover, as identified in your fire risk assessment.

How often must fire wardens be retrained?
No law sets a fixed interval. Training must be repeated periodically where appropriate and updated when risks change. Set an interval in your fire safety arrangements and retrain sooner after significant changes or a poor drill.

Who inspects fire safety at work?
Usually the local fire and rescue authority. HSE enforces fire safety on construction sites and certain ships.

Is fire safety awareness training enough for fire wardens?
No. Awareness training suits all staff, but government guidance says fire marshals need more comprehensive training for their role.

Put trained wardens in place

Your evacuation plan depends on the people nominated to run it. Give them the CPD-accredited learndirect Fire Warden Training course, and give everyone else Fire Safety Training. Each costs GBP 25 + VAT per learner, with an instant certificate recognised by UK employers. To compare what different warden courses offer, read our fire warden course guide, or explore the full learndirect fire safety category.