Emergency Response, Safety and Fire Prevention
Emergency response requires preparation, recognition, action, and reporting. A candidate must know the emergency types (fire, medical, bomb threat, armed robbery, structural failure, hazardous spill) and the basic response sequence: raise the alarm, protect life, call the emergency services and management, contain or evacuate as instructed, and preserve the scene for investigation. Know your site's emergency plan, evacuation routes, assembly points, and the location of fire equipment.
Fire prevention concepts: the fire triangle (fuel, heat, oxygen), the classes of fire (A solid, B flammable liquid, C gas, D metal, and electrical), and the correct extinguisher for each. Water is for Class A only; never use water on electrical or flammable-liquid fires. Know PASS for extinguisher use (Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep) and that you fight a fire only if it is small, you are trained, and you have a safe escape route. Otherwise evacuate and call the fire service. Safety concepts include housekeeping, clear escape routes, no smoking in prohibited areas, and reporting faulty equipment.
Traps in questions: using water on an electrical fire; assuming you must fight every fire; forgetting to raise the alarm before acting; and failing to account for people at the assembly point. Another trap is re-entering a building during a fire or moving an injured person who may have a spinal injury.
Rule of thumb: life safety first, then property; alarm first, then action. Worked example: you smell smoke and find a small waste-paper bin alight in an office. You raise the alarm, ensure people begin evacuating, confirm the fire is small and you have a clear exit, then use a water or foam extinguisher with PASS, and report the incident and the use of equipment afterwards.