The Evacuation Aid Training course (Evacuation Practice Drill)is for frontline staff who have a crucial role to play, as they are often the first people responding to an emergency. The safe evacuation of a person is dependent on the knowledge, skill, and ability of staff conducting their evacuation. When a fire occurs, the evacuation of residents is the responsibility of staff and not the Fire and Rescue Service, which is to tackle the fire and rescue service users/residents only if the predefined evacuation strategy has failed. The requirements to manage evacuation are set out in the Fire Services Act 1981 as amended 2003.

Management must actively monitor evacuation practice drills, evacuation aid training content, and staff attendance at training so that providers take a proactive approach to ensuring everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency requiring an evacuation of service users/residents.

There should be a clearly defined process to ensure that changes in the procedures are communicated to all staff and others working in the centre and that any additional training required is provided. Providers must ensure that all people working in the designated centre know the procedures to be followed and their specific roles under these procedures.

Staff members knowledge and training concerning evacuation plans are of paramount importance to the safety of everyone in the centre. While staff training is key to their knowledge and competence in emergencies, it is also equally important in their day-to-day awareness concerning evacuation planning in the centre. Providing staff with information on evacuation procedures will support them if a fire occurs; equally, failings in the adequacy of staff training can have potentially fatal consequences for service users/residents and staff also.

The Evacuation Aid Training course is 100% practical and designed for all care staff. It provides them with the necessary knowledge and skill to operate evacuation aids such as Ski Evacuation Sheets and Ski Pads.

Haven clearly defined evacuation practice drills. The ability to evacuate service users/residents is essential to demonstrate compliance with Regulation 28 Fire Safety (HIQA) and the guidance contained within “Fire Safety Handbook a Guide for Providers and Staff of Designated Centres” published by HIQA in January 2021.

Each learner will get practical experience in the use of evacuation aids in a controlled environment. All training is conducted using our equipment; this ensures that your equipment is not damaged and is readily available for use if required in an emergency. A rescue training mannequin is used to simulate evacuation conditions. Staff should never be put on an evacuation device for training.

The Evacuation Aid Training course is designed to be delivered over a full day or half-day; the full-day program can train up to 50 staff each training session lasting 60 minutes for a maximum of 10 learners practising with one evacuation aid.

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.

Course Aims

• To provide training to learners in the safe use of evacuation aids
• To ensure learners can utilise evacuation aids efficiently
• For staff to have the ability to evacuate residents 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 various evacuation aids
• To reduce the risk of injury to staff and residents
• To comply with the requirements of Regulation 28 Fire Safety (HIQA)

Who Should Attend This Course?

All care staff responsible for assisting a service user/resident in evacuating a building as part of the service user/resident personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP)

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
• Please inform the Instructor of any medical condition that you may have if you feel relevant to the training and, in particular, the practical work
• Staff must be trained on People Moving & Handling to practice operating evacuation aids
• The centre is required to provide suitable training areas in line with government guidelines on the management of covid-19
• The centre will be required to supply equipment on-site for this training, profiling bed, including bed linen
• Please let us know if learners have any specific learner requirements

Course Programme

• Introduction, description and limitations of on-site evacuation aids
• Safety considerations
• Method of use
• Safety requirements before, during and after use
• Practical use of evacuation aids

Our Tutors

Our tutors are well experienced in providing fire safety information within a healthcare setting. They will outline the staff’s duties and roles in preventing fire and what actions are necessary to respond to a fire within a nursing home. All our tutors hold a minimum;

• Minimal QQI Level 7 in their subject matter or higher
• Train-the-Trainer QQI Level 6 or higher
• People Moving Instructor Qualified
• Evacuation Aid Instructor Qualified
• Infection Control and Safeguarding Adults Qualified

Training Methods

• Demonstration and practice with evacuation aids
• The section of the course the deals with the demonstration and practice of evacuation aids requires a suitable training area in line with government guidelines on the management of covid-19

Assessment

Learners will be required to safely remove our training mannequin to a place of safety utilising an evacuation aid

Certification

• Upon successfully completing the Evacuation Aid Training Course, learners will receive a Phoenix STS Training certificate
• The certificate will be valid for one (1) year

Maximum Number of Learners

As the Evacuation Aid Training Course is predominantly skill-based, it is limited to 10 learners per training session

Duration

• 3 x 1-hour training sessions (Half-day)
• 5 x 1-hour training sessions (Full-day)

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