 " Safety Training " is the twentieth episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office . Written by B. J. Novak , who also acts in the show as sales representative Ryan Howard , and directed by Caddyshack and National Lampoon 's Vacation director Harold Ramis , the episode aired in the United States on April 12 , 2007 on NBC . It was the 50th episode of the series overall. The episode features a safety training session led by the office's new safety officer, David Wallace (played by the show's creator, Ricky Gervais ). The training session is interrupted by an office fire.