RPA has a new training facility to be used to simulate fire and terrorist situations in hospitals

THREE shipping containers have been refitted by RPA firefighter Tom Hetherington into a training facility used to simulate hospital fire and terrorist situations.

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THREE unassuming shipping containers behind Royal Prince Alfred Hospital are getting plenty of attention, and they might be the key to saving lives across Australia.

The containers have been refitted by long-time firefighter Tom Hetherington, and his team, into a training facility that is to be used to simulate fire and terrorist situations in hospitals.

“To have a fire in a nursing home or hospital is the worst case scenario,” Inspector Hetherington, from Sydney Local Health District Fire Services said.

“That was highlighted at (the fire at) Quakers Hill.

“To have so many non-ambulance people at the one place is the worst situation to be arriving at as a firey.

“What we’ve set up here is realistic in every detail.”

Insp Hetherington shows the dummy bomb used in simulations at RPA's new fire simulation unit. Picture: John Appleyard

Insp Hetherington said that the new training facility, which is an Australian first, can be used to run simulations with smoke and heat.

“Last year, I put in a proposal for a fire simulation centre at RPA because our training is all done through lectures,” he said.

“It won approval and we’ve just built a replica ward in three shipping containers.

“It’s the only one of its kind in Australia and includes a two-bedded bay, patient bathroom and a kitchen with microwave oven.

Sydney Local Health District Fire safety officer Rod Brown with registered Nurse Simon Latham and Midwife Tarryn O'Loughlin in RPA's new Fire simulation unit. Picture: John Appleyard

“We can recreate an emergency at the press of a button, with non-toxic smoke billowing in through vents, alarms sounding, fire doors automatically closing and the main lights going out, leaving staff to evacuate patients under emergency lighting only — and giving them vital training in moving people who may be incapacitated or using the shower or toilet at the time of the fire.

“What we’ve got here mimics everything that you’d find in the hospital or in a nursing home.”

Insp Hetherington said he’d already been approached by Fire NSW, NSW Police, and other private groups to run their own training out of the facility.

Sydney Local Health District Fire services Inspector Tom Hetherington outside RPA's new Fire simulation unit. Picture: John Appleyard

“We’ll be using the facility to teach people about how to manage major incidents,” he said

“We’ll train them in white powder incidents too, and help teach staff on what to look out for.

“And we can also do bomb threat training here.”

Insp Hetherington said that in his time at RPA there had been only a few occasions where sections of the hospital had been forced to evacuate.

“We don’t get it a lot but all nursing staff at some stage in their career will go through a real evacuation,” he said.

Midwife Tarryn O'Loughlin, Fire safety officer Rod Brown, registered Nurse Simon Latham and Fire safety officer David McSwan simulate removing a patient from a smoke filled environment in RPA's new Fire simulation unit. Picture: John Appleyard