When the ‘what if occurs’, practice matters to ensure a timely and effective response. Catherine recently facilitated several amazing drills for volunteer Teams for one of our clients. The drills were to practice ‘real life’ response to medical emergencies simulating an employee suffering an electrocution. There is no better learning opportunity!
CPR and First Aid certification is the first step and lays the foundation; however, the real test comes when the team is faced with an emergency. Through practice and topic review sessions, the skills are honed and improved, and confidence is built.
The most significant benefit is not only that the team is ready to respond when the unthinkable occurs, but the camaraderie that is created during the topic review sessions and drills. This value leads to sharing experiences, learning from each other, and building trust in fellow team members when working together to respond to emergency situations.
Drills are an excellent opportunity to learn how the team and support services (security, housekeeping, communications etc.) react should a real emergency occur. The drills also provide important feedback to improve the system including reviewing and revising written policies and procedures.
The manikin to simulate electrocution emergencies wasn’t available so Catherine improvised a well-crafted make-shift manikin (with wounds and all) that worked even better! Catherine used moulage to create entrance and exit wounds, providing a realistic situation that gave employees an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills plus gain an understanding of where gaps in that knowledge existed. This created a realistic and emotional experience that cannot be created with classroom training alone. The best is not only the learning that occurred, but that camaraderie and trust were fostered and enhanced!
Consider adding response drills and review sessions as key components for your safety program emergency response plan!