Fire Protection Warden Training Course in English (Brandschutzwart:in - BSW)

If you would like to play a part in fire safety at your workplace, training to become a fire protection warden is the first step.

Employers assign fire safety duties in writing to individuals who are familiar with the current state of the art in safety technology.
Once you have passed the fire protection warden examination, you can support fire safety officers in their work on workplace fire safety or train to become a fire safety officer yourself.

In our training course, you will acquire the knowledge required by the technical guidelines for preventive fire safety TRVB 117 O of the Austrian Federal Fire Service Association and the Austrian Fire Prevention Authorities, enabling you to successfully pass the fire protection warden examination.

In this training, you will learn:

• to understand key terms in fire safety and gain an overview of the legal foundations of fire safety.
  
  
• about structural fire safety measures and their function – such as fire and smoke compartments, fire safety zones, fire and smoke protection doors, fire dampers, the fire safety classification of construction products, etc.
• the different types of technical fire protection systems: fire alarm systems, extinguishing systems, and smoke and heat extraction systems. You will learn about the structure, operation and protection factor of these systems, how to handle them and how to respond to alarms.
  
  
• the fundamentals of plant-specific fire science: how fires start, which factors enable and influence combustion, the different fire classes and their specific characteristics, which extinguishing agents may be used for what purposes, when and how explosions occur, the hazards posed by fire smoke, and how fires behave and spread within buildings.
  
• what fire hazards and fire-prone activities exist: ignition sources and causes of fire such as lightning strikes, open flames, electrical energy, mechanical energy, spontaneous combustion due to biological or chemical reactions, hot work and fire-related work, etc.
  
• know and understand the correct behaviour in the event of a fire: initial measures (assessing the situation, warning those present, preventing the fire from spreading), notifying the fire brigade, evacuation, firefighting by first responders, guiding the fire brigade and what to do if escape is impossible.
  
  
• the objectives of workplace fire safety, the measures it implements, the bodies involved in workplace fire safety (fire safety officers, fire safety supervisors, fire safety teams, emergency response service, in-house fire brigade), and their respective tasks and areas of responsibility (self-inspections, preparation for fire brigade operations, fire safety regulations and alarm plan, fire alarm and evacuation drills, fire safety log, etc.).
  
  
• which fire-fighting equipment you can use to provide initial and advanced fire-fighting assistance (portable fire extinguishers, fire blankets, bucket pumps, wall hydrants, mobile fire extinguishers), how the different fire-fighting agents work and for which fire classes they are suitable.
  
  
• gain practical experience of firefighting during a drill: in a fire drill, you will extinguish a fire using a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket. You will see how a grease fire starts and how to extinguish it correctly, and how a spray can might explode.

• Anyone appointed as a company fire protection warden in accordance with Section 43 of the Austrian Workplace Regulations (AStV).
  
• Anyone wishing to undertake further training in fire safety.

• No prior knowledge of fire safety is required.
  
• Participants whose first language is not German must have a command of German at least at B2 level.

• You will complete the fire protection warden training course with a written multiple-choice exam.
  
• Upon passing the exam, you will receive a certificate and a fire safety certificate valid throughout Austria, in accordance with the provisions of the Technical Guidelines for Preventive Fire Protection (TRVB 117 O).

• Proof of having successfully passed the fire safety officer examination is valid indefinitely.
  
• The cost of issuing the fire safety certificate is included in the course fee.
  
• The training is delivered in collaboration with our partner, the Institut zur Förderung von Brandschutz und Sicherheit (IFBS).
  
• The course for fire safety officers takes place at the IFBS Training Center, Maculangasse 12, 1220 Wien.
  
• Refreshments during breaks and lunch are included in the course fee.
  
  
• Completion of fire protection warden training is a prerequisite for attending the training courses for fire safety officers and emergency response officers.