This unit of competency involves the skills and knowledge required to manage a facility emergency response team assigned to control workplace emergencies in their early stages prior to the arrival of the emergency services and/or specialist response team. It includes establishing and maintaining emergency response teams, providing information and developing procedures, making recommendations for the provision of emergency equipment and managing its maintenance, arranging training for emergency response teams and monitoring and reporting on emergency response teams.

Depending on the size and structure of the facility management of the emergency may involve more than one facility emergency response team over more than one physical location, as specified in the emergency management plan.

The unit has been developed to cover the facilities as considered in Australian Standard (AS) 3745 or AS4083. For this unit, as covered by AS3745 and/or AS4083, occupants are people attending a facility on a permanent or temporary basis such as an employee, contractor, student or resident, but not a visitor or patient and a facility is a building, structure or workplace that is, or may be, occupied by people (occupants).

All aspects of the unit must be undertaken in accordance with legislative requirements, organisational policies and procedures, and accepted safe practices. It applies to members of an Emergency Planning Committee (EPC).

No licensing, legislative or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.

ELEMENTS

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1

Prepare for hover-exit operations

1.1

Hover-exit equipment is selected and prepared, in accordance with organisational procedures and requirements

1.2

Appropriate clothing and equipment are worn, in accordance with organisational procedures and requirements

1.3

Pre-flight checks on clothing and equipment are undertaken, in accordance with organisational procedures

1.4

Damage to firefighting and safety equipment is reported to the supervisor for repair, replacement or disposal

1.5

General helicopter safety briefing is obtained from pilot, flight crew, air base and/or helibase manager

2

Load hover-exit personnel and equipment into helicopter

2.1

Firefighting and safety equipment is assembled, weighed and recorded

2.2

Pilot is informed of firefighting equipment and personnel weights

2.3

Equipment is loaded into helicopter and secured under pilot or flight crew supervision

2.4

Instructions are obtained from pre-mission briefing and clarification of objectives and procedures is sought, as required

2.5

Personnel are secured in seatbelts, in accordance with organisational procedures and flight crew instructions

2.6

Pre-flight safety briefing is obtained from pilot or flight crew

3

Prepare to exit from hovering helicopter

3.1

Appropriate landing technique is selected and used, in accordance with ground and safety conditions

3.2

Following clearance from pilot and hover-exit crew leader instructions are received to prepare for exit

3.3

Seat belt is released and then resecured prior to moving towards the helicopter doorway, in accordance with organisational procedures and instructions received

3.4

Pre-descent checks are conducted, in accordance with organisational procedures and requirements

3.5

Clearance is obtained from the pilot and hover-exit flight crew leader to disembark

3.6

Emergency procedures are conducted, as required

3.7

Emergency commands are responded to, in accordance with organisational procedures

4

Exit from hovering helicopter

4.1

Hover-exit operations are undertaken, in accordance with organisational procedures and Work, Health and Safety (WHS)/Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) requirements

4.2

Actions are undertaken to minimise uncommanded movement of the helicopter during transfer to the ground, in accordance with organisational procedures and instructions

4.3

Assembly point for individuals and equipment is identified and reached

4.4

All clear signal is communicated to pilot or flight crew when landing activity is complete

4.5

Under instruction from hover-exit flight crew leader, individuals and equipment are transferred between helicopter and ground, in accordance with organisational procedures

4.6

Emergency procedures are conducted, as required

4.7

Emergency commands are responded to, in accordance with organisational procedures

5

Undertake hover-entry to helicopter

5.1

Individuals and equipment are located at nominated assembly point in preparation for hover-entry

5.2

Following clearance from pilot and hover-exit flight crew leader, movement towards the helicopter is undertaken, in accordance with organisational procedures and instructions received

5.3

Actions to minimise uncommanded movement of the helicopter during transfer from the ground to the helicopter are undertaken, in accordance with organisational procedures and instructions

5.4

Movement on board the helicopter and towards the helicopter seat is undertaken, in accordance with organisational procedures and instructions

5.5

Seat belts are secured until clearance is obtained to commence movement within the helicopter, in accordance with organisational procedures, safe work practices and instructions from flight crew

5.6

Seat belts remain secured until helicopter has landed and clearance is obtained to commence movement within the helicopter

6

Perform maintenance on equipment

6.1

Equipment is inspected and maintenance is performed, in accordance with organisational procedures and manufacturers' guidelines

6.2

Damage to equipment is reported to the supervisor for repair, replacement or disposal

6.3

Maintenance or damage to equipment is documented and reported, in accordance with organisational procedures

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.

Range is restricted to essential operating conditions and any other variables essential to the work environment.

Non-essential conditions may be found in the Companion Volume Implementation Guide.

Public Safety

Facility Emergency Response