How much does a fire marshal course cost?

Article written in April 2024 by Ben Holroyd – Founder of BH training solutions

The aim of this article is to give you, the customer, as much honest information as possible as to why some training providers prices may go up or down from what was originally advertised on their company website or from email marketing campaigns when you actually get a quote. Prices will depend on several factors that will differ from provider to provider, and by the end of this article you should have a greater understanding about why pricing may vary in our space as it is rarely as simple as having a ‘price list’ on a website, like with e-commerce where you can ’buy now’.

Why discuss this openly?  Simple, I feel it only right that you get as much reliable information as possible to allow you to make the most informed decision to which provider will suit your requirements and budget best. I also understand, that what is discussed here is not top secret and this is not a headline revelation but I just wanted to explain this information in my own words. 

The simple answer to ‘How much does a fire marshal course cost?’ or ‘How much does a fire safety course cost?’ is, well it depends. Let me explain:

So here are some of the factors that may affect pricing.

1. Group Size:

Larger groups often require more resources, including additional trainers, materials, and facilities.

 Most UK awarding body guidelines state that a regulated fire safety course or a fire marshal course can have a maximin of 16 students per one instructor however this can vary. This doesn’t apply for non-regulated courses, but we will discuss this subject; regulated versus non-regulated courses in another blog. Basically, if a business wants 17 students to gain an accredited fire marshal qualification in one session then two trainers will be required which will naturally push the price up to cover the extra trainers’ costs and fees.

Some providers will charge a set fee whether you have one student or 16 enrolled, the cost is the cost for the course, for example; £550 for a one-day level 2 fire safety course for up to 16 students (So it’s £550 whether 4 students attend or 16 attend). This approach offers clarity but potentially not always the best value for money due to a lack of flexibility if you are a smaller group of say 4-6 students. This option can be cost effective if the business fills the 16 spaces as the price per student will obviously be reduced. For the provider the overheads may be increased for a full course if they are using an external awarding body to accredit the qualifications, some examples are NUCO training and Qualsafe. We at BH training solutions use NUCO as our approved centre which enables us to accredit all our courses through First Aid Awards Ltd, however, we are charged per student for each certificate on course completion. This cost is in the ball park of £8 per certificate including VAT. If the provider is their own approved centre they can issue their own accredited qualifications and print their own certificates at next to no cost, as they will probably use a certificate making app or a budget online service.

Another provider may opt to charge on a per student basis with no flexibility, for example; £60 per student for the one-day level 2 fire safety course for up to the regulated 16 students. Some may offer discounts or incentives if you can enrol higher numbers of students for example; its £60 per student for 1-9 people in your group booking but £50 per student for 10-16 students. These group options are based on group bookings either in-house or booking multiple students onto an open course at the providers training base. Open courses (ones that are held at the providers venue or a hired neutral space that individuals can book onto) usually work off a price per student basis with usually some sort of offer available which is discussed below (discounts).

2. Discounts:

Different providers may offer various discounts or promotions such as ‘book before a certain date’ to receive a saving. Again, these are all great and will be why many providers pricing will not always be set in stone.

Discounts offered completely depend on the provider and there are always new and creative ways to attract people to click that ‘book now’ button with various incentives and ‘win win’ deals supposedly on offer.

Some examples could include things such as;

-        Book before a certain date and get 10% off the advertised price

-        Use a code for 10% off

-        Repeat client or multiple course bookings

-        Student, blue light card or members of a certain organisation discount

-        Group bookings of 8,9,10 and above receive a certain amount off per student

-        First ‘six’ people to book on an open course get 15% discounted rate so book early

This is not an exhaustive list

If an open course is on offer, a provider may offer incentives to companies or individuals to bring extra people onto the course for a reduced amount. For example; Book three spaces and the third place gets 10% off or the price per student may be reduced.

 3. On-site Training:

Conducting training at a client’s workplace or chosen location can offer convenience and familiarity and can potentially save the organisation on things such as productivity time lost and staff travel expenses. However, this option may involve some additional costs related to excess travel distance of instructors, depending where the instructor is traveling from and possible overnight accommodation for instructors if necessary. Things like this should be discussed transparently with the training provider, when receiving any quote for training. Generally speaking, in-house training is the most cost-effective option, versus training being conducted at a providers training venue.

You will save on staff expenses and obviously the training provider will have no venue hire fees as an overhead.

4. Course Content and Duration:

The complexity and duration of any course may influence pricing especially if it strays away from the rigidity of an awarding bodies regulated syllabus. If you’re looking for bespoke or tailored content, or the course is spanning several days this may require more resources and expertise, affecting the overall cost (A fire safety course or fire marshal course really should not be more than one full day). No two workplace buildings are ever the same so if a business needs a thorough review of their fire safety / evacuation procedures then another potential consideration, is customisation of any bespoke content that may be needed to align with your specific needs and this will drive prices up. This would take additional time for the instructor / provider to put the training package together which again would be a reason for the price to go up compared to a set syllabus accredited course.

Our F.A.A accredited (first aid awards Ltd) level 2, one day fire safety course has a set syllabus from the awarding body. This means that the course content and length should be the same, regardless of the provider delivering it so no additional ‘tweaking’ is generally required so these courses should usually be a more cost-effective alternative to any bespoke training requirements.

For a ‘non-accredited or ‘non-regulated’ training course they are not bound by a particular syllabus and a trainer can technically deliver what training they see fit. However, only a certificate of attendance can ever be issued and you must ensure the provider / instructor has professional ‘competence’ to deliver this subject. Competence can be measured by professional qualifications, field experience, teaching and assessing credentials and all relevant insurances should be in place. 

 Always discuss your training requirements with the provider and they should be able to advise you what you need. Potentially some providers will try to up sell more advanced bespoke courses than is actually sufficient for your workplace. Always do your own checks to help you understand what you need.

5. Blended and online learning:

Since the Covid 19 pandemic (remember that?) like with a lot of ways of working, the training world had little choice in most cases but to offer training courses virtually. We now find ourselves in a blended learning space with gives providers the option to offer some learning hours to be completed away from the classroom, via e-books, video tutorials or assignment work (this is not an exhaustive list).

So, a provider who offers this blended approach may offer a reduced rate, but from our research it appears that prices tend to be the same for a full face to face or one with a blended option. One reason for this is potentially the cost of the course materials or the production of the e-books or assignment workbooks.  Another could be that whether an instructor completes four hours in a classroom or six (a full training day) it is highly unlikely that instructors can complete another course or any other training that day so a full day’s fees are usually charged.

There are also fully online course options, whether they are accredited, nationally recognised or just for CPD credits you will need to check, so always read the small print and contact the provider if you need any clarification about what qualification / certification you will receive on completion of the training.

So which approach you go for will come down to individual choice and circumstances. Personally, I’m not totally against some training being blended or even fully online, however regards something as important as fire safety and understanding how to practically implement emergency evacuation procedures and preparing for potentially a very scary and stressful situation I’ll ask you this; Do you think a complete beginner could learn to ride a bike by watching a video? Or do they need to fall off a real bike a few times and bang their shins on the pedals a couple times and then learn from the experience?

So hopefully this article has given you some insight into some factors that can affect a training providers prices for a fire marshal course. At BH training solutions we feel it only right and honest that we publish a starting price for each of our course options on our company website, to give you a good idea what you might be expecting to pay. As mentioned above, different factors may increase our prices or reduce our prices, but we will be transparent throughout, so now you should be slightly better-informed regards getting quotes from different providers too which we absolutely suggest you do.

Here is an honest dive into how we price our different courses in 2024.

For business to business (B2B) sessions where we will go into a company’s workplace and deliver training and business to customer (B2C / open courses) we work off a price per student. We offer reductions and discounts on the following:

·       Group sizes of 9 or more B2B

·       Early booking discounts on our open courses B2C

·       Blue light card holders 10% off course fees

·       Armed forces veteran card holders or serving personnel 10% off course fees

·       Members who have signed the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) 10%

Here is the starting point to give you an idea of costs, remember this is not a price list:

1 day - level 2, F.A.A accredited award in fire safety, classroom based.

£64.99 per student up to 8 and £49.99 per student for 9-16.

Any other questions or concerns as ever I will happily discuss openly and honestly, my contact details are:

info@bhtrainingsolutions

+447725332224

Warm regards

Ben Holroyd – Founder BH training solutions