Access to buildings for people with disabilities has attracted considerable attention in recent years. A great deal of work has been done to improve the accessibility of public buildings for people with disabilities. The Evacuation Chair Training Course will not only ensure the safety of your staff when required to assist a mobility-impaired person it will also demonstrate your organisation’s efforts to have an inclusive workplace.

Many public bodies have done accessibility audits, and related improvement works to meet their obligations under Section 25 of the Disability Act 2005. Equality legislation enacted over the last decade also requires public bodies to provide for the needs of their employees and customers with disabilities. In many cases, public bodies aim to go beyond their minimum legal obligations to create environments that are universally accessible to as wide a group as possible.

All buildings above or below the ground floor level where the upper or lower floors are accessible using a lift or chairlift require evacuation devices placed on each escape stairwell. It is also essential to assess the evacuation chair’s suitability based on the occupants’ profile in the building. The higher the occupant’s level of dependency within the building, the more evacuation chairs and training is required.

Safe evacuation depends on the skills and abilities of the staff involved in making evacuation happen. On-site staff play a critical role in ensuring that everyone can evacuate the building safely in an emergency such as a fire. It is essential that staff are trained and prepared to carry out their functions and that enough trained staff are on-site at all times for the effective evacuation of people who may need assistance. Our evacuation chair training course teaches your colleagues how to swiftly use an evacuation chair whilst keeping the operator and evacuee as safe as possible.

To ensure your safety when training on the ‘Evacuation Chair Training Course’, all our training chairs have a full-body support seat.

As the use of an evacuation chair is a skill, staff attending the ‘Evacuation Chair Training Course’ must have an opportunity to practice and satisfy themselves and the instructor of their ability to operate an evacuation chair safely and effectively. During an incident such as a fire, every second matters, any unnecessary extra time spent trying to figure out the correct procedure for the evacuation chair increases the risk of injuries or, worse. The evacuation chair training course teaches your learners how to quickly and safely use an evacuation chair to become second nature to them in the event of an evacuation.

Phoenix STS is the only company authorised in Ireland to provide train-the-trainer courses on the full range of “Ski” evacuation products and the Elite Emergency Evacuation Chair. Ensure that you meet your legal obligations and be kept up to date with new regulations in emergency escape procedures for all, including the mobility impaired, by being trained by our official recognised tutors.

Our tutors must undergo extensive refresher training every three years to ensure they are certified to deliver training. Phoenix STS ensures that our tutors are current with the manufacturer’s requirements and current medical training guidelines for evacuation chairs.

Course Aims

• To provide training to learners in the safe use of evacuation chairs
• To ensure learners can utilise evacuation chairs efficiently
• For staff to have the ability to evacuate a person safely in the event of an emergency

Course Objectives

• To provide learners with the correct technique and procedure to safely and effectively evacuate a person with limited mobility to a place of safety using an evacuation chair
• To reduce the risk of injury to staff and the person being assisted with the evacuation
• To comply with the requirements of Fire and Safety Regulation

Who Should Attend This Course?

Anyone responsible for assisting a person in evacuating a building as part of a predetermined evacuation plan where a risk assessment has shown the requirement for assistance with an evacuation chair

Pre-Course Requirements

• English is the language in which training is delivered, and learners must have fluency in English
• Learners should wear appropriate clothing for an interactive and practical course
• The building occupier is required to provide suitable training areas in line with government guidelines on the management of covid-19
• A suitable evacuation chair must be made available on-site for the practical element of the course
• Please let us know if learners have any specific learner requirements

Course Programme

• Introduction, description, and limitations of the evacuation chair
• Safety considerations
• Chair design
• Method of use
• Safety requirements before, during and after use
• Practical use of the evacuation chair

Our Tutors

All our tutors hold a minimum;

• QQI Level 7 in their subject matter or higher
• Train-the-Trainer QQI Level 6 or higher
• People Moving Instructor Qualified
• Evacuation Chair Instructor Qualified

Training Methods

This course is exclusively carried out ‘on-site’. The benefits of conducting training at your premises include;

• Each learner will get practical experience in the use of an evacuation chair in a controlled environment
• A rescue training mannequin is used to simulate evacuation conditions
• Courses are tailored to the learner’s work environment
• Two-way feedback during the course to answer any queries learners may have
• Guidance on best practice techniques

Assessment

Learners will be required to successfully and safely evacuate downstairs using the evacuation chair

Certification

• Upon successfully completing the Evacuation Chair Training Course, learners will receive a Phoenix STS Training certificate
• The certificate will be valid for two (2) years
• Maximum Number of Learners
• As the Evacuation Chair Training Course is predominantly skill-based, it is limited to 3 learners per training session

Duration

• 2 x 1.5-hour training sessions (Half-day)
• 3 x 1.5-hour training sessions (Full-day)

This allows adequate time for practice and demonstration with the skills modules of the course