FireRed offers a wide range of various ERO courses. ERO stands for both Company Emergency Response and Basic Emergency Response.
Emergency response includes a range of measures, procedures and training designed to provide assistance with various types of emergencies that may arise.
The employer is assisted in complying with his obligations under the Working Conditions Act by one or more employees designated by him as company emergency responders. These EROs must be trained with a safety course (ERO course) that must be repeated every year to ensure safety within the company.
The offered courses fall into the following categories and subcategories:
- ERO
- ERO Basic
- ERO Refresh
The difference between a Basic course and a Refresher course is that a Refresher course may only be taken with a valid emergency response diploma (less than 1 year old).
General information about ERO-training:
If an emergency occurs in your company, all people present in your company should evacuate as quickly as possible. Finding the exit may seem easy, but panic often arises, and many people no longer know what to do. There is also a chance that there are casualties or that a small fire has started. When the victims need assistance promptly, and the fire needs to be extinguished, the escalation of the emergency can be prevented. (The designated person for this is the ERO.) To work at a good and sensible level, multiple first aid responders must be present in a company (as required by labor regulations). They are trained to handle these situations. They can not only save lives but also materials and potentially visitors!
Since January 1, 1998, the entrepreneur is personally responsible for company emergency response in their business. Additionally, according to Dutch laws and regulations, a certain number of EROs (company emergency response officers) must be present in a company, determined based on the risk assessment and evaluation (RA&E). It should be noted that in the absence of a ERO, they must be replaceable.
A ERO must be able to perform the following tasks
- Life-saving first aid actions.
- Bandages
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) + AED.
- Fighting an incipient fire
- Evacuation
- Communication (alarm / aggression etc.)
How many EROs, team leaders, and/or head ERO
The correct number of company emergency response officers must be determined based on the data in your company’s Risk Assessment and Evaluation (RA&E). Key factors, of course, include the size of your company and its business processes. There should be a sufficient number of company emergency response officers actually present in your company. In other words, when determining the number of responders, you should take into account illness, vacations, and shift work. The composition of your workforce also matters: employees with intellectual or physical disabilities require a different level of support from your company emergency response officers than employees without disabilities. Additionally, the location and layout of your building and the prevention measures employed also determine the required number of EROs. Please review the Company Emergency Response Training for more information.
Based on the number of EROs, one or more team leaders are designated/trained to effectively guide the EROs in carrying out their tasks and procedures properly. This is done with the mindset of “every second counts.”
He ensures that his team is trained and stays proficient. Managing and overseeing the team’s resources are also part of his responsibilities. Please review the Team Leader training.
Employers and landowners bear the ultimate responsibility. If the employer cannot or does not want to implement the policy regarding the company emergency response organization themselves, they should appoint a coordinator or Head of ERO. The Head of ERO takes over the organizing role from the employer, but the employer remains ultimately responsible for the functioning of the company emergency response organization. The Head of First ERO is responsible for establishing, implementing, and monitoring the Occupational Health and Safety policy regarding safety in a company or institution. Please review the Head of ERO training.
Evacuation
Companies that are required to have an evacuation plan must practice this plan at least once a year through an evacuation drill.
