Who it’s for

This course is for staff designated as evacuation assistants or fire wardens, building managers, facilities and security personnel, receptionists and anyone with a responsibility for assisting the safe evacuation of people who need help on stairs in an emergency.

Participants should have completed a Manual Handling course before attending. They should be physically able to take part in the practical elements of the training, which include operating the chair, transferring a person into the chair and descending stairs.

What you’ll learn

• Fire safety awareness and evacuation procedures
• Personal Emergency Evacuation Planning (PEEPs)
• Principles of safe lifting for chair transfers
• Assembly and handling of the evacuation chair
• Putting the chair user at ease
• Moving evacuees from various locations to the stairs
• Safe stair descent with an occupied chair
• Practical scenarios in different building environments
• Proceeding safely to the designated assembly point

Duration & assessment

The course takes approximately 3 hours. Learners are assessed throughout the practical session and must demonstrate safe, competent operation of the chair before the certificate is issued. Where a larger group is trained, or the course is combined with Manual Handling, additional time may be required.

Equipment

UFAS can supply an Evac+Chair for training where required, or deliver the course using your own evacuation chair on site. Where you already have an evacuation chair in place, we recommend training on your own equipment — staff become familiar with the exact model, its location and the evacuation routes they would use in a real emergency.

Please confirm at booking whether UFAS should bring a chair or whether the client’s own equipment will be used.

Certification & renewal

On successful completion, participants receive a UFAS Certificate of Competency, valid for 2 years.

On-site, nationwide

Evacuation chair training is always delivered on-site at your building. Training in your own environment means staff practise on the actual stairs, evacuation routes and equipment they would use in an emergency — not a generic training facility.

Larger groups, multiple sessions and combined Manual Handling and Evacuation Chair programmes are available. Call 01 6991126 or email info@ufas.ie.