Evacuation Chair Operator Training

Evacuation chairs are located in the following buildings:

• HumSS
• URS/CEM
• Whiteknights Library
• Whiteknights House
• Agriculture
• Chemistry
• Food Studies
• JJ Thomson
• MERL
• London Road (L016 & L022)

A Disabled Evacuation Chair is a specially designed folding chair that can be used to transport a disabled person safely down a building fire evacuation staircase. A typical chair is shown here. Staff who are designated to help disabled people during an evacuation must be properly trained in how to use the chair and the general fire safety procedures to be followed.

Who can use an evacuation chair?

Correctly used, an evacuation chair only involves a minimal amount of manual handling. Any person who is normally fit and active can use a chair if they have been trained. You may already be part of your building fire evacuation team acting as a fire warden or door warden but this is not a pre-requisite for attendance. Alternatively you may be a first aider or you may be a colleague of a known disabled member of staff or a tutor of a disabled student.

Aims and objectives:

• Understand the legal need for ensuring all people including disabled people are evacuated from a building in the event of a fire or other emergency and understand the options available for achieving this.
• Safely use an Evacuation Chair to evacuate a disabled staff, student or other relevant person
• Recognise a typical evacuation chair and prepare the chair for use
• Advise a disable person on how to cross transfer to the chair
• Transport a disabled person safely on the flat until a staircase is reached
• Transport a disabled person safely down flights of stairs
• Fold away the chair correctly in readiness to be used again
• Have a working knowledge of Safety Note 60 - Evacuation Chairs

On returning to the workplace you will be able to:

• Understand the fire risks in a laboratory and how to prevent the outbreak of fire
• Use an appropriate fire extinguisher to tackle a fire in a laboratory if it is considered safe to do so
• Take the correct actions if you discover a fire in your building

Who should attend:

All personnel who may be required or who have volunteered to use evacuation chairs.

Pre-course preparation:

All personnel attending the course should be fit and active. Any person unsure about their ability to use a chair should seek medical advice before attending for training.

All personnel should familiarise themselves with Safety Note 60 - Evacuation Chairs before attending the course.

As this course is largely of a practical nature then delegates should wear sensible footwear and clothing that is comfortable and non-restrictive to normal movement.

Course date and time:

• TBC - Contact course Tutor if you require this training

Maximum number of participants: six

Course tutors: David Sharp and Kevin McGovern