There is no denying that all businesses should have a fire safety plan/evacuation plan and it is incredibly beneficial to make sure all employees know exactly how they should proceed in the event of an emergency. More often than not, within these plans will be a mention of evacuation aids and unfortunately, many aren’t actually sure what these are. Simply put, these aids provide a simple and effective solution to ensuring everyone is able to have a safe exit from a building in an emergency situation
There are a few different evacuation aids that are commonly used to assist in a fire emergency evacuation. Whether you have already undertaken emergency evacuation training or not, it is beneficial to be aware of the most frequently used evacuation aids and how they can help you in an emergency. So, our team here at Phoenix STS have put together a list of some of the most commonly used evacuation aids that frequently help people to save lives.
Evacuation Chair
This evacuation aid is fairly self-explanatory, however it is incredibly important to know exactly what it is, especially if your building has flights of stairs. Evacuation chairs are essentially a chair on wheels and when used by a member of staff, they can make getting someone who is unable to walk down the stairs much easier.
The vast majority of evacuation chairs are quick and simple to use, so employees shouldn’t worry about having to rely on this evacuation aid in the event of a fire. They will easily be able to evacuate someone down the stairs with a smooth controlled descent and with no heavy lifting or manual handling required. In order to use this aid correctly in line with evacuation procedures, it is beneficial to undertake a training course. This will also prevent any worry in relation to using this aid too.
Evacuation Mattress Sledge
This evacuation aid is commonly used in health care environments and they are considered to be one of the best aids available to help bedridden people evacuate a building. In order to create an evacuation mattress sledge, you will need to know what a ski sheet is. These sheets attach to a mattress, enabling someone to be evacuated on their mattress.
Creating an evacuation mattress sledge with a ski sheet can help you with both vertical and horizontal evacuations and they can be used to get someone safely down any type of stairs too. You will simply be able to drag the person, on the mattress sledge, away from danger and safely out of the building without the hassle of having to move the person from their bed. Again, in order to feel confident using this evacuation aid, practice evacuations should be undertaken regularly with rescue dummies.
Evacuation Ski Pad
This evacuation aid has evolved from the ski sheets mentioned above and it is a brilliant alternative to use where space is limited and a mattress is too big to drag easily throughout the building. In the event of a fire, the person needing to be evacuated will simply be transferred to the evacuation ski pads before being pulled to a place of relevant safety.
Often this type of evacuation aid is a popular choice because it is suitable for use with both adults and children as it can easily be adapted to suit people’s varying needs. They are also incredibly easy to store and often wall mounted in convenient locations around the building. Thankfully, they are also quick and easy to remove from their storage bag too, so it is easy to see why they are commonly used. As expected, training in this evacuation aid is also recommended.
Undertaking Emergency Evacuation Training
Hopefully, you will now know a little bit more about the three most commonly used evacuation aids and if your workplace’s fire safety plan has mention of these, you will now know what they are. Of course, it is also incredibly beneficial to know exactly how to use these evacuation aids when quickly leaving a building when a fire alarm is heard, so you may want to consider undertaking some further training.
Here at Phoenix STS, we can provide you with a range of different emergency evacuation training courses, such as an evacuation chair course. So, if you have specific evacuation aids on your premises this emergency evacuation training is perfect for you, after all, safe evacuation depends on the skills and abilities of the staff involved in making evacuation happen. If you would like to speak to a member of our team about emergency evacuation training, please don’t hesitate to get in touch today.
