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Development Tool
Emergency
Medical & Safety
Related
(Not Hazardous Materials)
Developing
an effective MERT/ERT is based on several key elements;
overall safety goals of
your company, OSHA compliancy, available personnel, budget and time
constraints.
For an effective team you'll need first, written procedures, second, initial training,
third, related equipment and supplies and lastly, ongoing training and
program evaluation. Life Safety Associates
provides a solution for each of these key elements.
As one tool,
Life Safety
Associates utilizes a proprietary custom built software program to quickly
and effectively recommend the number of MERT/ERT members and response equipment
you'll need by building and/or by campus. 10 simple questions. Five
minutes or less and we will have your answers for you and at no charge. We can of course
email attach the report at your request and send it off to you in just
moments as well. Please call (or Email with your number) and ask for Michael Sheehan and in five
minutes you'll have what you need. 408.573.1900
How
many MERT/ERT members do you need?
Determine
the time it will reasonably take to get from the furthest point of
your building / campus to the next furthest point. Should the time exceed
3-4 minutes you will need to add ERT members to shorten your response to
under three minutes. Industry standards
vary from 1% to 25% of your population. This large percentage spread of is based on several variables; daily
site head
count including contractors, visitors, temp help, employees, etc. (this factoring in illness, vacation, travel) growth projections, termination and reduction in force
projections. The number
and complexity of buildings and floors, location of buildings, emergency and risk exposure potential,
time/distance from the MERT/ERT response to the victim or incident. Yes,
it does seem a bit daunting - Solution - Life Safety Associates
For companies with very large employee populations the industry standard is typically 1% - 5%. As a
general rule the larger your population the smaller the percentage of MERT/ERT personnel. An example, a company with 4000 employees, 12+ buildings, etc. would typically average 1%-3%+ of their employee population trained as ERT members, in this case that's about 40-80 members. Conversely, a company with 60-150 employees and one or two buildings would train 10%-12%, perhaps up to 20% of their population. (that's about 12-25
MERT/ERT members).
We often hear "What if I train my employees and they're gone next week?" An answer is "What if you don't train them and they stay!"
Steps:
Should
you need further details and support on the MERT/ERT Development Steps please
contact us. Life Safety Associates provides a turn-key solution to your MERT/ERT
needs. From long-distance to on-site full or part time support, Life Safety
Associates professional staff has your solutions.
Sample
ERT Agenda
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Determine
your sites needs
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Identify
the types of responses expected
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Resource
pool for MERT/ERT members - from what department/group, etc.
-
Determine
the number of MERT/ERT members needed
-
Identify
costs including soft or indirect costs for time and overtime
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Determine
overall time commitment
-
Identify
support equipment, products and related services
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Determine
the scope of in-house versus outsourced training
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Develop
a vendor selection criteria
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Prepare
and deliver your proposal to senior management
-
Obtain
budget support for year one and year two
-
Send
out your request for proposal - make your selection
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Promote
and select your MERT/ERT membership
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Once
the team is selected develop an MERT/ERT Steering Committee
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Develop
MERT/ERT written plans to outline responses, procedures, etc.
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Develop
a maintenance program to control membership, training, equipment
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Review
your overall MERT/ERT plan at least annually
Other Important Issues
You
need to determine individual response equipment needs and site equipment and
supply needs. See our Online Store.
MERT/ERT Response Drills
Ideally delivered on a regular basis. MERT/ERT skills are perishable and
regular drills are important to maintain skills and knowledge. This can be done monthly, every other month or quarterly. From two to fours hours in length.
Utilize our Online Emergency Quizzes and
simulator. So the MERT/ERT's take the EmerQuiz and Simulation then days or
weeks later a belly-to-belly training class (MERT/ERT Response Drill) is done. The
class should consist of 15-20 minutes of review of the EmerQuiz and the remaining time spent "learning as they do". Hands-on training to the related subject.
Renewal Programs: Every 12-18 months but not to exceed 24 months. This format is used to improve the
MERT/ERT skills and confidence.
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