Evacuation Chair Training Course

What’s Included

Your course fee includes everything you need for effective training:

• Comprehensive Course Materials — printed handouts and reference documentation

• CPD Certificate — accredited by the CPD Standards Office (Provider No. 22657)

• Phoenix STS Training Certificate — valid for 2 years from date of completion

• Hands-On Practical Training — with evacuation chairs and rescue manikins

• On-Site: Your Equipment — training conducted on your building’s own evacuation chairs and stairways

• Public Courses: All Equipment Provided — evacuation chairs and manikins supplied at our Longford training centre

• Post-Course Email Support — direct access to your instructor for guidance after completing the course

• Renewal Reminder Service — we’ll contact you approximately six months before your certificate expires

What You’ll Learn

The course covers five core areas, combining theoretical knowledge with extensive practical skills development.

Evacuation Chair Fundamentals

Types of evacuation chairs and their features, how they fit within your building’s emergency evacuation plan, and the legislative context for their provision under Irish health and safety law.

Pre-Use Checks and Risk Assessment

Step-by-step pre-use inspection procedures, identifying faults and determining serviceability, dynamic risk assessment during an evacuation scenario, and route planning including stairway assessment.

Safe Operation Techniques

Unfolding, setting up, and positioning the chair for passenger transfer. Safe manual handling techniques for transfers with varying mobility levels. Securing passengers safely with restraints and harnesses.

Stair Descent and Emergency Deployment

Controlled stair descent technique, braking systems and speed management, obstacle navigation on stairs and landings, and single-operator and two-operator descent methods.

Communication and Passenger Care

Reassuring passengers throughout the evacuation, providing clear verbal instructions, coordinating with other emergency responders, and post-evacuation handover procedures.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Identify the types and features of evacuation chairs and select the appropriate model for your building
• Perform pre-use checks to confirm the evacuation chair is safe and ready for deployment
• Conduct a dynamic risk assessment of the evacuation route, including stairway conditions
• Deploy the evacuation chair correctly, including unfolding, positioning, and passenger transfer
• Operate the chair safely on level surfaces and during controlled stair descent
• Apply safe manual handling techniques that protect both operator and passenger
• Communicate effectively with passengers, providing reassurance and clear instructions
• Understand your legal responsibilities under Irish health and safety legislation

Course Programme

The 6-hour programme combines classroom theory with extensive hands-on practical training.

Morning Session: Theory and Demonstration

• Welcome and course introduction
• Types of evacuation chairs: tracked, wheeled, and combination models
• Legislative framework: Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and General Application Regulations 2007
• Pre-use checks and fault identification
• Instructor demonstration: deployment, transfer, descent, and recovery
• Dynamic risk assessment during evacuation

Afternoon Session: Practical Training and Assessment

• Hands-on practice: chair deployment and passenger transfer
• Level surface manoeuvring exercises
• Supervised stair descent practice (individual and paired)
• Braking and obstacle navigation
• Communication and passenger reassurance techniques
• Practical assessment: each participant demonstrates safe evacuation technique
• Course conclusion and certificate information

Legal Requirements

Irish employers have clear legal obligations regarding emergency evacuation, including for persons with mobility impairments.

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005

Under Section 8 of the 2005 Act, employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health, and welfare at work of all employees. This includes providing safe means of evacuation from the workplace in the event of an emergency.

General Application Regulations 2007

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 require employers to establish emergency procedures, designate competent persons for evacuation duties, and ensure all employees can be evacuated safely — including those with mobility impairments.

Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003

The Fire Services Act 1981 and Fire Services (Amendment) Act 2003 place duties on persons having control of premises to take reasonable measures to guard against fire and to ensure the safety of persons on the premises in the event of fire.

HIQA Regulation 28 (Healthcare Facilities)

For nursing homes and residential care facilities, HIQA’s Fire Precautions regulation requires adequate arrangements for the safe evacuation of residents. Staff must be trained and competent in evacuation procedures, including the use of evacuation equipment.

Assessment and Certification

Learners are assessed through continuous practical evaluation throughout the course. Each participant must demonstrate competent and safe evacuation chair operation, including:

• Correct pre-use checks and fault identification
• Safe passenger transfer and securing
• Controlled stair descent with appropriate braking
• Proper communication and passenger care throughout

Certification

• Phoenix STS Training Certificate — issued as a PDF within 5 working days of course completion

• CPD Certificate — confirming 6 CPD hours (CPD Standards Office, Provider No. 22657)

• Certificate Validity — 2 years from date of issue

• Renewal Reminder — Phoenix STS will contact you approximately six months before expiry

Our Instructors

All Phoenix STS evacuation chair instructors are qualified People Moving and Handling Instructors and Evacuation Equipment Instructors. They hold a minimum of Fire Safety Technician (FST.IIESMS) recognition, and every instructor completes manufacturer-approved refresher training every three years.

Our instructors hold memberships with the following professional bodies:

• NAHFO — National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers
• IFE — Institution of Fire Engineers
• IOSH — Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
• IIESMS — Institute of Industrial Engineers and Safety Management Systems
• IIRSM — International Institute of Risk and Safety Management
• IHEEM — Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management
• L&DI — Learning and Development Institute of Ireland

Qualifications include BEng Fire Engineering, BSc Environmental Health and Safety Management, Higher Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety, and QQI Level 6 Train the Trainer. Combined instructor experience exceeds 100 years across healthcare, defence, construction, and corporate sectors.

Available Nationwide Across Ireland

Phoenix STS delivers evacuation chair training on-site at your premises anywhere in Ireland, and at scheduled public courses at our training centre in Longford.

We have delivered this course to organisations in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny, Athlone, Sligo, Dundalk, Longford, and all counties across Ireland. On-site training is available at the same flat rate regardless of your location.

Contact us for an on-site training quotation or call 043 334 9611.

Related Courses and Services

Explore our other evacuation, fire safety, and health and safety courses and consultancy services:

• Evacuation Chair Instructors Course — CPD-certified train-the-trainer programme. 1-day, 5-year qualification. Build in-house training capability.
• Healthcare Evacuation Equipment Instructor Course (4-Day) — Ireland’s only manufacturer-authorised course covering ski sheets, manikins, and bariatric evacuation. 26 CPD hours.
• Fire Warden Training Course — 7-hour CPD-certified programme with practical fire extinguisher training. 3-year certification.
• Nursing Home Fire Safety Training — HIQA-compliant, 3-hour, 80% hands-on programme. Includes evacuation equipment practice.
• Evacuation Planning Service — professional evacuation planning, fire drills, PEEPs, and emergency procedures. BEng fire engineers, PI insured.
• Fire Safety Consultancy Services — fire risk assessments, safety audits, evacuation planning, and fire door inspections. Nationwide coverage.