Most fire safety courses combine classroom instruction with hands-on training to teach attendees how to respond in an emergency, how to utilise firefighting equipment (such as fire extinguishers), and how different types of fires originate and how to effectively resist them.

Fires cause damage on property, injure people, and kill people. Many of the offices and industries destroyed by fire in Canada are never rebuilt, thus a fire in the workplace can also entail job loss. Fire safety training is one of the most important techniques for keeping the workplace safe and avoiding fires.