Fire safety training for your staff
We train your staff to choose the right extinguisher, use it properly, and know when to leave a fire and get everyone out. For hotels, villas, guest houses, shops, offices, factories and schools across the Galle, Matara and Hambantota districts.
The person nearest a small fire is usually a receptionist, a cook or a shop assistant, not a firefighter. Training gives them a plan before they need one. Tell us how many staff need training and what kind of premises you have, and we will plan the session around them and give you a price.
Who it is for
- Tourist hotels, boutique hotels and boutique villas: SLTDA asks for at least 75% of staff to be trained (see below). See what hotels and guest houses need.
- Guest houses: small teams, where the person on duty at night may have to act alone.
- Shops, restaurants and offices: hot cooking oil and electrical equipment, where water makes a fire worse.
- Factories, workshops and schools: fuels and machinery, or children to get out first.
The SLTDA 75% rule
For tourist hotels and boutique hotels and boutique villas, the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) asks for a Certificate of Fire Protection with at least 75% of staff trained in first-aid firefighting, when you register and again at every yearly licence renewal.
SLTDA's draft criteria for classifying tourist hotels also say this training should be given by persons with CIDA (Construction Industry Development Authority) registration. These are draft criteria, so check the current rule with SLTDA before you book any trainer.
What the training covers
- How fires start: heat, fuel and air, and how to keep them apart at work.
- Fire classes: A solids, B flammable liquids, C gases, D metals, F cooking oil and fat, plus electrical fires.
- Choosing the right extinguisher: reading the label, and why the wrong type makes a fire worse.
- Using it: the PASS method below.
- When not to fight a fire, and how to raise the alarm and call 110.
- Monthly checks staff can do themselves.
| What is burning | Use |
|---|---|
| Wood, paper, cloth (Class A) | Water, foam or dry powder (ABC) |
| Petrol, diesel, paint (Class B) | Foam, CO2 or dry powder |
| Electrical equipment | CO2 or dry powder. Never water |
| Cooking oil or fat (Class F) | Wet chemical, or a fire blanket on a small pan. Never water |
Our guide to extinguisher types explains each one.
Using an extinguisher: the PASS method
Check you have the right type and a clear way out behind you. Stand back from the fire, then:
Pull
Pull out the safety pin, breaking the tamper seal. Keep the extinguisher upright.
Aim
Aim low, at the base of the fire, not at the flames (for burning cooking oil, see below). On a CO2 extinguisher, hold the handle, never the horn: it gets very cold.
Squeeze
Squeeze the handle steadily. Let go to stop.
Sweep
Sweep from side to side across the base of the fire until it is out, then keep watching in case it starts again.
Burning cooking oil is different
Turn off the heat if you safely can. For a small pan, use a fire blanket. With a wet chemical extinguisher, hold the lance about a metre away and apply it slowly and gently over the surface of the oil. Never blast it into the pan or fryer, and never use water or CO2 on burning oil.
A small extinguisher empties in seconds. If the fire is not out by then, leave, close the door behind you if you can, and call 110.
When to get out instead
Leave the fire and get everyone out if:
- the fire is spreading, or is already bigger than a waste bin
- smoke is filling the room
- you don't know what is burning, or don't have the right extinguisher
- a gas cylinder or fuel is near the flames
- the fire is between you and your way out
Fire now? Call 110
110 is Sri Lanka's fire and rescue emergency number. SafeZone Fire Company is a private company, not the fire brigade: for a fire happening now, call 110 first.
Agree in advance who sounds the alarm, who calls 110 and what they say (the address, a landmark, what is burning, whether anyone is trapped), and where everyone meets outside.
Monthly checks your staff can do
BS 5306-3 (UK) and NFPA 10 (US) ask for a quick look at each extinguisher every month. They are international codes, not Sri Lankan law, but it is an easy habit. Check that:
- it is in its place and nothing blocks it
- the pin and tamper seal are in place
- on extinguishers with a gauge, the needle is in the green
- there are no dents, rust, leaks or cracked hoses (near the sea, salt air rusts fittings faster)
- the label shows the last service date
An extinguisher that fails a check, or has been used at all, needs servicing or a refill: see inspection and maintenance.
How to arrange training
Tell us about your team
WhatsApp us, call us or email us with how many staff need training, the type of premises and the town. All the ways to reach us are on the contact page.
We plan it and quote
We suggest a plan for your premises and your team, and give you the price before anything is booked.
Keep your own record
After the session, list who attended and the date, and keep it with your fire-safety papers. Hotels and boutique villas: put it in your SLTDA file.
Train new staff as they join
Teams change. Hotels and boutique villas: before each yearly SLTDA renewal, check that at least 75% of your current staff are trained.
Common questions
How long is a session, and how many people can attend?
That depends on your premises and how many people need training, so we plan each one separately. Tell us about your team and we will suggest a plan and give you a price.
Will my staff get a certificate?
Ask us about this when we plan the session. Either way, keep your own attendance list with names and dates; hotels and boutique villas should put it in their SLTDA file.
Does training get us a fire certificate?
No. The Certificate of Fire Protection is issued by your local authority's fire service or the UDA, not by us or any supplier. Trained staff are one part of being ready; the right extinguishers, serviced and in the right places, are another.
Plan training for your team
- 076 979 7866 (Call)
- WhatsApp 076 979 7866
- [email protected]
- 159/Bokkaramullagoda, Uluvitika, Galle
- Reg. No. 261023028
Updated: 27 October 2026