"Do we need a fire safety officer, or will the security guards do?" is a question we hear from factory managers, hospital administrators and society committees alike. The answer depends on what the law requires for your occupancy, what your insurer expects, and how your site actually operates at night. This note explains the roles and offers a practical staffing approach.
Three different roles
Security guard
Trained under PSARA standards to control access, protect assets and people, patrol, observe and report. Basic fire-fighting equipment handling is part of the PSARA training syllabus, so a properly trained guard can operate an extinguisher and raise the alarm, but he is not a fire professional.
Fire warden (floor / shift warden)
An employee or contract staff member with additional training in fire prevention, use of extinguishers and hose reels, evacuation procedures and headcounts. Fire wardens are assigned to a floor, block or shift and lead the first response until the fire brigade arrives. Many organisations designate security personnel as fire wardens after specific training — this is the model in our Fire & Safety Security service.
Fire safety officer (FSO)
A qualified professional — typically with a fire-engineering or sub-officer qualification — responsible for the site's fire-safety management: risk assessments, maintenance of detection and suppression systems, drills, records, liaison with the fire brigade and regulatory compliance. In Maharashtra, the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006 and the National Building Code place obligations on occupiers of high-rise buildings, hospitals, malls, hotels and industrial occupancies to maintain fire safety measures and, for certain occupancies, to appoint fire safety personnel and obtain periodic fire audits.
Which occupancies typically need what
| Site type | Typical requirement | Practical staffing |
|---|---|---|
| Small factory or warehouse (low hazard) | Extinguishers, hydrants where required, trained staff | Security guards trained as fire wardens on every shift |
| Medium / large factory, hazardous processes | Fire risk assessment, fire audit, trained fire team, drills | FSO or safety officer + trained fire wardens (security can double) |
| Warehouse & logistics park | Sprinklers/hydrants, housekeeping of stacks, night watch | Fire-trained security with hourly night patrols; FSO for large parks |
| Hospital | Fire NOC, evacuation plans for non-ambulant patients, trained staff per floor | FSO + floor wardens (nursing + security), regular drills |
| High-rise residential / commercial | Annual Form B certification by a licensed agency, wet risers, refuge areas | Society/facility manager + fire-trained security, drills twice a year |
| Hotels, malls, event venues | Fire NOC, crowd evacuation planning | FSO + fire-trained stewards and security |
Always confirm the exact requirement for your occupancy with the local fire brigade or a licensed fire-audit agency; requirements depend on height, area, hazard classification and occupancy load.
The night-shift test
Ask a simple question: at 2 a.m., who on your site can operate the hydrant, find the main electrical isolator and start the evacuation? On most sites the honest answer is "the security guard, if he has been trained". That is the argument for making fire training a standard part of the security deployment rather than an afterthought.
What a fire-trained security team should be able to do
- Identify fire hazards during patrols (blocked exits, overloaded sockets, waste accumulation, cylinder storage) and log them.
- Carry out weekly visual checks of extinguishers (pressure gauge, seal, date), hose reels and hydrant valves; report defects.
- Operate extinguishers correctly on small fires and know when not to (electrical, gas leak, large fire).
- Raise the alarm, call the fire brigade with the correct address and access route, and meet the fire tender at the gate.
- Lead evacuation to the assembly point and conduct a headcount; assist visitors and persons with disabilities.
- Isolate power and gas where trained and authorised.
- Participate in and record evacuation drills.
Documentation to keep
- Fire risk assessment and the annual fire audit / Form B certificate where applicable.
- Maintenance records for detection, alarm, sprinkler and hydrant systems.
- Training certificates for fire wardens and security staff, refreshed annually.
- Drill reports with timings, headcount results and corrective actions.
- Incident reports for any fire, near-miss or false alarm.
Bringing it together
For most factories, warehouses and societies in the Satara, Solapur and Pune districts, the practical model is: a designated safety owner (FSO or safety officer where the occupancy requires one), security guards trained as fire wardens on every shift, and a drill calendar that is actually followed. OSS supplies fire-trained security personnel and fire wardens as part of industrial contracts in Solapur, Karad and Pune, and can coordinate with your fire-audit agency. Tell us about your site and we will propose a staffing plan.
This article is general guidance. Statutory fire-safety requirements vary by occupancy and jurisdiction; obtain advice from the local fire authority or a licensed fire-audit agency for your premises.
About the author
Written by the operations team at Om Sai Siddhanath Security & Services, a PSARA-licensed security agency headquartered in Phaltan (Licence PSA/L/2/MH/2022/SEP/3/2372) serving Phaltan, Satara, Pune, Solapur and across Maharashtra. Information is general guidance, not legal advice.
