Fire safety training online in the UK: where to train and what employers look for

What employers look for in an online fire safety certificate

Your employer decides what fire safety training you need, based on its fire risk assessment. Fire safety law in every UK nation expects employers to give staff adequate training when they start and when risks change, repeated periodically where appropriate. When an employer checks a certificate, they usually look for:

• Content that follows current UK fire safety law. The law for the nation you work in, from the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010.
• A clear, verifiable record. The course name, hours of learning and completion date, with a way to confirm the certificate.
• The essentials every worker needs. How fires start, prevention, raising the alarm, evacuation and fire extinguishers.
• A refresh date. The law expects training to be repeated periodically where appropriate, so a refresh-by date matters.

Lift College's certificate does each of these. It records Fire Safety Training, 2 hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 12 months on, with a unique certificate number and a verification link. Your employer will also show you the fire procedures for your own building, and the course prepares you to follow them.

What the Lift College course covers

There are 5 short modules, each with a knowledge check, then a multiple choice final test with an 80% pass mark and unlimited free retakes.

1. How fires start. The fire triangle of heat, fuel and oxygen, and common causes of workplace fires, from electrical faults to careless smoking.
2. Preventing fire at work. Good housekeeping, safe storage, electrical safety and keeping escape routes and fire doors clear.
3. Fire safety law and you. What the law expects of employers and of you, including the fire risk assessment and your duty to report dangers.
4. When the alarm sounds. Raising the alarm, calling 999, evacuating by the nearest safe route and going to the assembly point, and why you never use a lift.
5. Fire extinguishers and equipment. The main extinguisher types, which fires they suit, and why your workplace procedure decides who tackles a fire.

By the end you can spot common fire hazards and help remove them, describe your duties as an employee, raise the alarm and follow your evacuation procedure, recognise the main extinguisher types, and keep fire doors and escape routes clear.

The law and guidance it is written around

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 21 (England and Wales). "The responsible person must ensure that his employees are provided with adequate safety training" when they start and when risks change, repeated periodically where appropriate. Under article 23, employees must take reasonable care and report serious dangers.
• Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, section 53. Employers in Scotland must keep employees safe from harm caused by fire, so far as is reasonably practicable, assess fire risks and put fire safety measures in place, including employee instruction and training (with Schedule 2).
• Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Set out the detailed duties under the 2005 Act, including training, information to employees and duties of employees.
• Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. Part 3 sets out fire safety duties in Northern Ireland, including employers' duties to employees and duties of employees.
• Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010, regulation 20. Employers must give employees adequate fire safety training when they start and when risks change, repeated periodically when appropriate and given in working hours.

How Lift College compares with other UK providers

Details below are as each provider shows them on its own course page, checked 11 October 2026. "Check provider" means the page did not state it.

With Lift College the £19.99 is the full price for one learner, with nothing added at checkout, and the refresher is free when your recommended refresh date arrives.

Who it suits

Fire Safety Training is for every employee in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is for you if:

• you are a new starter and fire safety is part of your induction
• you work in an office, shop, school, hotel, care home or warehouse
• you look after visitors, residents or the public at work
• your employer has asked you to complete annual fire safety training
• you want a clear refresh of fire procedures and prevention

If your workplace is in the Republic of Ireland, take Fire Safety Training (Ireland), which covers Irish law and emergency numbers. Our Ireland fire safety guide explains it. For general workplace safety, see our health and safety guide. See every course on the health and safety courses page or browse all Lift College CPD courses. Buying for a team? Ask about team enrolment.

Enrol on Fire Safety Training for £19.99 and start module 1 the minute you pay. Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.