The Nursing Home Fire Safety Procedures Course is 80% practical and is designed for all residential care facility staff, and provides learners with the necessary knowledge to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a fire, including the use of evacuation aids such as Ski Evacuation Sheets and Ski Pads, as well as the safe use of portable fire extinguishers.
Independently of the fire safety awareness course, staff are assesIndependently of the fire safety awareness course, staff are assessed when completing timed bedroom or compartment fire drills 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.
Staff knowledge and training concerning fire risk reduction, fire precautions and fire procedures are of paramount importance to the safety of everyone in the centre. However, while staff training is key to their knowledge and competence in emergencies, it is also equally important in their day-to-day awareness concerning fire safety in the centre. For example, providing staff with information on fire prevention and evacuation procedures will support them if a fire occurs. Equally, failings in staff training adequacy can have fatal consequences for residents and staff themselves. The Nursing Home Fire Safety Procedures Course will ensure the Person in Charge (PIC) and Registered Provider meet their stature obligation concerning staff fire safety training.
Please Note: Rescue training dummies are used for staff safety and encourage maximum participation in all nursing home fire drills completed to complement the course.
Where staff require additional training after completing the Nursing Home Fire Safety Procedures Course, we also offer a Nursing Home Fire Safety Manager Training Course: As the Nursing Home Fire Safety Manager, who would be a focal point for all fire safety matters within the Nursing Home. The role does not necessitate the duty holder to possess fire safety competencies, provided that they have sufficient access to competent fire safety advice from a Fire Safety Consultant. This course will enable you to fulfil your role competently and have suitable support structures in place within the centre.
In addition to management training, 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.
In a nursing home’s day-to-day management, we know how important it is to have a streamlined Fire Safety, Health & Safety and Emergency Management Plan in place to ensure resident’s and staff’s comfort, happiness, and safety. Our nursing home emergency management systems cover all aspects of fire safety, health & safety and emergency management, including training courses to ensure your staff have the necessary knowledge and equipment to respond quickly and effectively in the event of an emergency. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to safety.
We’re proud to offer a range of systems to cater to your nursing home’s specific needs.
Course Aims
- The provision of fire safety training to healthcare staff
- To ensure as far as possible the safety of staff, residents and visitors
- To prevent a fire in the Nursing Home
- For staff to have the ability to evacuate residents safely in the event of a fire
Course Objectives
- To provide all nursing home staff with fire safety training, including the prevention of fire
- To ensure all staff know their roles and the steps to follow in a fire emergency
- To train staff in the safe use of evacuation aids and portable fire extinguishers
- To ensure adequate fire safety procedures are in place and maintained at all times in the nursing home
- To comply with the requirements of Regulation 28 Fire Safety (HIQA)
Who Should Attend this Course?
This fire safety awareness course is intended for all staff working within a nursing home
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 in manual handling to practice operating portable fire extinguishers for module 3
- Staff must be trained on people moving to practice operating evacuation aids for module 4; where you are not trained in people moving, the senior clinical person will advise you on how you can assist at the time of the incident.
- The centre must 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.
- Where the building has multiple stories, the bedroom for the evacuation training should be as close as possible to a lift and the stairwell to facilitate the movement of the training dummy.
Course Programme
- Module 1 – Fire safety classroom presentation
- Module 2 – Walk and talk fire safety orientation
- Module 3 – Practical use of fire extinguishers
- Module 4 – Practical evacuation aid training
Please Note: Independently of the course; staff will be assessed on a timed compartment fire drill or bedroom fire drills to demonstrate their ability to evacuate a resident to a place of temporary safety within a timely manner. Only participants in the drill who actively are engaged in evacuating residents are recorded on the drill report. Staff role players in the drill are not noted as drill participants.
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 and/or equivalent membership of a professional body
- Train-the-Trainer QQI Level 6 or higher
- People Moving Instructor Qualified
- Evacuation Aid Instructor Qualified
- Infection Control Qualified
- Safeguarding Adults Qualified
Training Methods
- Bespoke PowerPoint presentations (the theory element of the course can be provided by remote learning or face-to-face training) followed by question and answer sessions
- Demonstration and practice with portable fire extinguishers and 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 are assessed on the safe use of evacuation aids and the correct selection and use of portable fire extinguishers, as well as through question and answer sessions
Certification
- Phoenix STS Training certificate
- The certificate will be valid for one (1) year
- Please note as fire training is non-transferable, this certificate is relevant to the centre in which the training was provided only
Maximum Number of Learners
As the fire safety awareness course is predominantly skill-based, it is limited to 12 learners; this allows adequate time for practice and demonstration with the skills modules of the course
Duration
With a maximum of 12 learners (mixture of clinical and non-clinical staff), the course duration is approximately 3 ½ hours
