Online Fire Extinguisher Training

The use of a portable fire extinguisher is a critical skill that's useful in a dangerous fire situation. Many people, hhowever, don't know how to use one. While the best training is found in-person with live equipment, not everyone knows nor desires to do live training. This is where online training steps in. Whether by a private company or unaffiliated website, there are plenty of opportunities to learn online.

Significance

• Knowing how to use a portable fire extinguisher in a life-threatening situation can mean the difference between life and death or, at the very least, how much property damage will be done. Knowing the basic skills of operating an extinguisher will significantly increase your chances of survival for yourself, friends, family and property.

Time Frame

• Online training can take anywhere from half an hour to three hours or more, depending on the company or website you are learning from and the type of course content provided. Completely text-based courses will depend on the speed you read at and average about an hour to complete. For courses that are text- and picture-based, the time spent usually averages from half an hour to three hours to complete.

Benefits

• The benefits of taking an online portable fire extinguisher course is that it may done in the comfort of your own home or workplace on your own time. You will not have to do a practical test. Other benefits include a possible printable certificate immediately following the end of the course vs. waiting for one to come by postal mail after an instructor submits the necessary information (if at all and it is required).

Drawbacks

• Drawbacks, however, include the lack of using live equipment, which can be very important to cement the skills taught in the course. Also, without a live instructor, questions may not be answered in a timely manner, or perhaps not at all, depending on the course. Finally, a major drawback is fees for taking a course. In most communities, the local emergency preparation center or fire departments will offer training for free or a nominal fee, but online courses may charge for the convenience.

Where to Find Online Courses

• Using the search engine of your choice, type in basic search words such as "online fire extinguisher training" or "online fire extinguisher class" and variations on that keyword set. Look for classes that are nationally certified by either NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) or DOT (Department of Transportation). There are other options out there, but these are the national organizations that specifically deal with fire safety and provide solid content. Fees will vary from course to course.