Safety Knights

Hands-on is the way to go. Plus, hands-on is actually required by OSHA in certain situations.

I preferred hand on when I was a cite OHS manager. That’s what I advise my customers now.
Most of my small to medium sized Mfg customers make one of two choices:

#1 Do not allow employees to use FEs. Thus they do not have to be trained. These customers have very few flammable and highly hazardous materials. For the time it takes to take train ees in FEs I think this is not smart. I advise them to reverse their stands. I was successful a couple times.
#2 Most of these smaller companies do not want to spend $2000-$3000 on the hands-on-training and will have me do classroom for $150 per session, unless I am on retainer, then “free”.
I recommend hands on, which I don’t do. You can ask the fire department to do it, some will, a few not. But be careful, I had a bad experience using a FD.
In my last Corp. job was able to do hands-on every other year, and classroom the other years.

PS For hands on you talking software simulation or practice on real fires (usually with a FD)?

For us it depends on the role. We have 11,000 employees so hands on for everyone isn’t feasible.

WE are a chemical plant. Hands on is voluntary currently. We do classroom every year. Do to the nature of chemicals here , we tend to specialize the fire training.

Yes, but not with actual fires - used a simulator