Working in fire safety means keeping up with changes in products, guidance, legislation and the risks you encounter in different environments.
For installers, technicians and other fire safety professionals, continued learning is an important part of maintaining and developing the knowledge needed to do the job well. Continuing professional development (CPD) provides a structured way to do this throughout your career.
Keeping knowledge current
Experience is important in fire safety, but the knowledge needed to do the job well continues to develop.
Lithium-ion batteries are a good example. They’re now widely used in everything from power tools and laptops to e-bikes, e-scooters and electric vehicles, bringing fire risks that many businesses and fire safety professionals increasingly need to consider.
Understanding those risks involves knowing what can cause a lithium-ion battery to fail, recognising the warning signs and considering how batteries are charged, stored, handled and disposed of.
It’s one example of why keeping professional knowledge up to date matters. Changes in technology, standards, legislation and industry guidance can all affect the advice fire safety professionals give and the decisions they make.
The value of CPD
A CPD certificate provides a useful record of professional development, but the knowledge gained from the training is what makes the difference in practice.
Relevant CPD can improve your understanding of a particular risk, introduce you to new guidance or approaches, and give you greater confidence when discussing fire safety with customers and colleagues.
For people working directly with businesses, that knowledge can also help when answering questions or identifying risks that may previously have been overlooked.
Making learning accessible
Finding time for professional development can be difficult when you’re balancing customers, site visits and the everyday demands of the job.
Firechief® Academy has been developed to make useful fire safety knowledge easier to access and apply. It brings together CPD-accredited training alongside webinars, case studies, white papers, videos and a growing Knowledge Bank.
This gives fire safety professionals different ways to continue learning, whether that’s completing a structured CPD course or finding practical guidance on a particular subject when it’s needed.
The aim is to make reliable fire safety information easier to understand and easier to put into practice.
Lithium-ion CPD
Lithium-ion battery safety is one of the subjects currently covered through Firechief® Academy.
CPD Level 1: An introduction to the burning issues surrounding lithium-ion battery fires provides an introduction to the causes, risks and consequences of lithium-ion battery fires. It uses real-world examples and looks at areas including e-bikes and e-scooters, electric vehicle charging, and the recycling and disposal of lithium-ion batteries.
Delegates also learn more about why lithium-ion battery fires occur and how lithium-ion battery-powered devices can be managed to help reduce risk.
For those looking to develop their knowledge further, Intermediate Level 2: Is our reliance on lithium-ion batteries safe or sustainable? looks more closely at how organisations can assess and manage lithium-ion battery fire risks.
It also introduces the Firechief® HALO™ framework, a ten-step approach to battery safety, helping delegates consider how what they’ve learned can be applied within an organisation.
Together, the courses help professionals build their understanding of lithium-ion battery risks and how they can be managed in practice.
Continuing your development
Professional development through Firechief® Academy isn’t limited to lithium-ion battery safety.
The Academy brings together CPD-accredited training, webinars, case studies, white papers, videos and a growing Knowledge Bank, giving fire safety professionals access to practical information and learning they can use in their day-to-day work.
Whether you’re looking to develop your knowledge of an emerging risk, refresh your understanding of a familiar subject or find guidance on a particular fire safety issue, the Academy is there to help you keep learning.