WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENS ON A TRAINING COURSE?
e are sometimes asked what exactly happens on our courses. Quite rightly people want to know how their time will be spent over one to five days. The short, quick answer is that details of all our courses can be found here. If you want an idea of the general content of the course, that’s the place to check.
However, It could be that you would like a little more insight into the specifics of the course. Perhaps you have questions about the type of rescue equipment which will be used. Maybe you are wondering what the timetable will be like for a course. Are you going to spend all day staring at a powerpoint presentation or will there actually be some practical work?! These are all good questions which this article aims to answer. We’ll take as an example our Tower and Mast Rescue course. We also do bespoke courses so please get in touch if you need something tailored to your requirements.
Tower and Mast Rescue is generally a two day course and is approved by Arqiva. If someone has done the two day course before they may be eligible for the one day refresher course. These courses are designed for people who need to work on telecoms towers or similar structures. Typically these would be lattice structures which require the use of fall arrest and work positioning equipment. So, what happens when you arrive?
Morning Day 1. First up there’s an induction where you’ll meet your instructor, the rest of the group (although often we close courses just one company) and find out about any health and safety related information necessary. At this point your trainer will find out exactly what you need out of the course and plan to tailor it as much as possible to your needs, while still meeting the course assessment criteria.
We have a maximum instructor- candidate ratio of 1:4 so you will then as a small group work through a presentation which includes legislation, methods of fall protection, safe systems of work and much more. Please see this page for specifics on course content.
Lunch is provided at about 12.00. Lunches tend to get very good feedback. Please do let us know before you arrive if you have particular dietary requirements so we can speak to the caterers!
Afternoon 1. There is a lot of practical content on this course, as is the case on most of our courses. Methods of fall protection commonly used on towers and masts are introduced along with lots of practice climbing around and hanging off things! Techniques such as Fall Arrest climbing and Work Positioning are essential for safe access and rescue on lattice structures. We have a wide range of different equipment at the centre including some of the latest work at height kit so are able to meet many different people’s training needs.
Morning Day 2. The second day of a Tower and Mast Rescue training course is devoted to emergencies and rescues. A short time is spent in the classroom discussing the various considerations in dealing with emergencies including what equipment is needed in a rescue kit, different possible medical conditions and appropriate rescues. After that it’s straight out onto the training area for instruction in the use of various different rescue descenders and other pieces of rescue equipment. Training is designed to accommodate a range of different abilities; some candidates are highly experienced, for others this may be the first time they have used such equipment.
Lunch Day 2. See above, but it’s usually different to the previous day- nice to have a bit of variety!
Afternoon Day 2. Various different rescue techniques are practiced in realistic situation. These include descending (abseiling), lowering a casualty and pick-off rescues which aim to retrieve a remote casualty who cannot get themselves down. This is an important time which allows development of existing skills and reinforcement of new ones. Towards the end of the day there is a question paper. This could be written or multiple choice. Some people don’t like any kind of question paper but don’t worry, at this point your instructor is trying to assess your knowledge, not your reading and writing skills!
The final part of the course is a debrief and some post-course paperwork. Congratulations, you’ve just been through a Tower and Mast Rescue Course!
If you would like any more information about any of Reax’s courses please call 01253 767775 or email us at info@reaxltd.com.
Looking after your kit
Even the best kit needs regular inspection and servicing. we have a team of fully trained PPE inspectors who can take the worry out of the process. Our servicing team are fully certified to carry out the servicing requirements for many of the leading rescue devices currently on the market.
