What training is required for staff during ILSM implementation?
During ILSM implementation, staff in affected areas must be trained on three things: how to use any additional firefighting equipment placed for the project, how to compensate for impaired structural or compartmentation fire-safety features, and the building deficiencies, construction hazards, and temporary measures currently in effect. This isn’t annual fire-safety refresher training — it’s project-specific, delivered before or as the ILSM goes live, and documented by name and date.
Who gets trained on what
- All staff in/adjacent to affected areas — the ILSM in effect, alternate exit routes, what’s changed about their fire response, and where to report problems. If staff response to rescue, alarm, confinement, extinguishment, or evacuation is altered, that change is the centerpiece of the training.
- Staff expected to use additional equipment — hands-on training on any extra extinguishers or suppression equipment placed under ILSM.
- Facilities and safety personnel — the daily inspection protocol, what triggers escalation (including the 4-hour/10-hour fire watch clocks), and documentation requirements.
- Construction workers and contractors — site-specific hazards, hot-work controls, egress routes for the construction area itself, and the smoking and housekeeping rules.
The drill requirement
Training is reinforced with one additional fire drill per shift per quarter in affected areas — on top of the normal drill schedule. When staff response to RACE is altered for an extended period, that frequency becomes the minimum; the ILSM assessment determines whether more is warranted. Every drill gets a documented critique.
What surveyors ask
Surveyors don’t ask for the training roster first — they ask random staff in the affected area what’s going on. “There’s construction on this floor — what changed about your fire response?” If the answer is a blank stare, the training program failed regardless of what the sign-in sheet says. Train to the interview, not to the file.
Training is only half the people equation.
See who owns ILSM implementation and the ICRA/ILSM construction guide.
FAQ
Does ILSM training replace annual fire safety training?
No — it’s additional and project-specific. Annual training continues; ILSM training covers what’s different because of this project or deficiency.
Must contractors attend ILSM training?
Construction workers in the affected area must be trained on site-specific hazards, egress, hot-work controls, and the ILSM rules that apply to them. Document their attendance like staff.
How many extra fire drills does ILSM require?
A minimum of one additional drill per shift per quarter in affected areas, with documented critiques.