Fire Awareness Module – Refresh

GWO Fire Awareness Refresher (FAWR) – also known as Fire Awareness Refresher – is the refresher course for the Fire Awareness (FAW) module from the Global Wind Organisation (GWO) Basic Safety Training (BST) package.

This module is mandatory for all technicians working in onshore and offshore wind farms and must be refreshed every 2 years to maintain the validity of the BST/BSTR certification.

Course Aim

To refresh participants’ knowledge and skills so they can prevent fires, make appropriate judgments when evaluating an incipient fire, manage the evacuation of personnel, and efficiently extinguish a small, controllable fire in a wind turbine environment using basic firefighting equipment.

Key Learning Objectives (Refresher)

• Review the specific fire hazards and risks in wind turbines (e.g., oil accumulation, electrical components, confined spaces).
• Update knowledge of contingency plans, smoke detection, and emergency escape procedures.
• Demonstrate correct actions upon discovering a fire, including proper use of firefighting equipment (CO₂, powder, and foam extinguishers).
• Reinforce fire prevention practices (good housekeeping, proper storage, identification of ignition sources).

General Information about Fire Awareness Refresher (FAWR)

• Course Duration Typically 4 hours (half-day), including theoretical and practical assessments. It is the shortest refresher module in the BSTR package.
• Certificate Validity24 months (2 years) from the date of completion. The certificate is uploaded to the GWO WINDA database and recognized worldwide.
• Prerequisites
  • A valid (or recently expired) FAW or FAWR certificate (it is strongly recommended to complete the refresher before expiry).
  • Valid WINDA ID (free registration at winda.globalwindsafety.org).
  • Minimum age 18 and good physical health.
• Why is the refresher mandatory? Fire Awareness is an integral part of the minimum BST/BSTR safety standard required for access to wind turbines. Without a valid certificate for all modules (including FAW), access to wind farm sites is prohibited by manufacturers and operators (Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, GE, etc.).

If the FAW certificate has been expired for a long time, most training providers will require you to repeat the initial Fire Awareness module rather than just the refresher.