7 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS USE MANIKINS IN YOUR TRAINING

You are training to save lives – don’t risk a live volunteer as you train for a genuine emergency.

It isn’t always safe to expect a volunteer to wait on an exposed mountainside, hide beneath rubble, or stay out in open water for prolonged periods of time. A manikin can be placed in situ several hours before training begins…and will never complain about being cold, sore or tired! Using manikins lets teams set up difficult training exercises in risk environments with a decreased risk of harm to others.

2) LEARNING NEW SKILLS CAN LEAD TO ACCIDENTS...

When learning new skills it is always best to use a manikin to minimize the risk of mistakes and consequent injury. Mistakes are easy to make when learning new skills - let a manikin face the consequence of these mistakes.

Working at Height training is the perfect example of an occasion where you would not risk a human life. Suspension related injury can occur in under 2 minutes, and in 5 minutes, you can lose consciousness. Never expect a live person to ‘hang around’ in harness whilst waiting to be rescued during training.

3) REALISTIC CASUALTIES

Real people don't always make realistic casualties! If mimicking an unconscious casualty, a volunteer will always protect themselves, taking a deep breath to float for example, or moving limbs to prevent knocks.

4) ALL SHAPES AND SIZES!

Manikins come in all shapes and sizes, from a 5kg baby to a 260kg bariatric adult. Our manikins are designed to accurately represent an unconscious casualty, with correct human weight proportions.

This allows trainers to set up difficult scenarios to really test the skills of their teams.

5) THEY CAN HANDLE A TOUGH TIME!

People are inherently breakable! You'll be reassured to know that we use the very best manufacturing techniques and the strongest materials to make our manikins. Most are constructed from the same flame retardant Polyester used in Police ballistic/stab vests.

Unlike plastic bodied manikins, our manikins are tough enough to be thrown from a second story window, driven over by a bus and buried under rubble without damage. We always aim to make the strongest possible manikins to stand up to the rigours of your training.

6) DEVELOPED BY EXPERTS

Most of the manikins in our range have been developed after dentifying the need for a particular scenario related dummy (such as bariatric, mountain rescue or lifeguard training).

We want to make sure that you have the very best products for your training and we have worked closely with expert organisations such as the Royal Lifesaving Society (UK), Surf Lifesaving, the RNLI, The Royal Navy and many rescue training specialists to make sure they perform as desired.

7) USED BY 'THE BEST'

Ruth Lee manikins are used world-wide in more than 50 countries and sold through a network of Distributors.

Customers range from small rescue training organisations to large multi-national organisations. We have previously sold manikins to the BBC, Exon Mobil, Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK), Airbus, Shell, E.On, Siemens, Rolls Royce, Star Cruises and many more.

As well as supplying the Fire Service and other Emergency Services, we provide manikins for hospitals and care homes, leisure groups and hotel chains, funeral groups, Construction companies and the Armed Forces world-wide.

https://www.rescuetech1.com/ruthleetrainingmanikin.aspx

COVID-19 - Cleaning of Ropes

Our friends at Teufelberger published this information:

A study performed by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Technology and Development Program, “Effects of Pathogen Decontamination on the Strength of Climbing Rope and Harness Equipment” which suggested that it is possible to soak textiles in water up to 55 degrees C with little effect to overall strength.

RescueTECH advises that you contact the specific rope or harness manufacturer for bespoke inspection and care instructions pertaining to your particular products in use.

Included with this notice is information specific to Teufelberger.

https://www.teufelberger.com/en/products-services/safety-and-rescue-ropes/application-specific-menu-safety-and-rescue-ropes/covid-19-corona-virus-rope-disinfection.html

Disclaimer: All of these recommended disinfecting solutions are advisory only. RescueTECH assumes no liability for improper use of the products. It is the user’s responsibility to inspect their gear before each use, and should any doubt arise about its condition for safe use, the product should be immediately withdrawn from use and not used again until confirmed in writing by a competent person that it is safe to do so. Users should additionally follow government guidance relating to general rules to minimize the transmission of COVID-19.

ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON KEEPING YOUR MANIKIN IN TIP TOP CONDITION DURING THE COVID19 PANDEMIC

Going back to the start of 2020, no one could have guessed the extent that COVID-19 would impact our everyday lives.  Previously little-used terms such as ‘social-distancing’ are now commonly used and for some, they will always instill a feeling of anxiety when it comes to working closely alongside others.

Obviously, when training, close person-to-person contact is often inevitable and therefore Ruth Lee Ltd are proud to be able to provide a solution to minimize person-to-person contact... training manikins! 

It is true that we have seen an increase in interest from all sectors over the past few weeks as teams seek to ensure stricter social distancing methods during their essential safety or rescue training and it is fast becoming obvious that for many, training manikins help you to achieve this. It is also true that we have had more queries about what can be done to clean the manikins safely.

SOME TIPS ON MANIKIN CARE DURING COVID19

Ruth Lee Manikins have a full Equipment Note which can be found here, which offers care instructions.

We understand that during the pandemic, you may wish to be extra careful and take additional precautions which include washing and cleaning your manikins more frequently.

Probably the simplest step to take is to ensure that you have clean overalls for your manikin – preferably at least two sets so that you can wash them frequently. Our overalls are machine washable at 40 degrees, and by keeping multiple sets, you can change them between sessions, even between participants in your course, to help minimize cross-contamination. 

Replacement overalls are a cost-effective way to prolong the life of your manikin anyway, but it’s worth keeping in mind that this simple step of changing the overalls might also help to minimize the risk of contamination if changed frequently and machine washed regularly.

Bleach free multi-surface spray cleaners or wipes such as Dettol, Clorox Bleach-Free could be used between participants and shouldn’t have an adverse effect on the fabric if used appropriately. Dettol gives the following advice on their website in relation to COVID19 https://www.dettol.co.uk/about-us/understanding-coronavirus/

Most of our manikins are made from a tough polyester fabric – the best way to clean the carcass of the manikin is to hand wash it with hot, soapy water. You can scrub it thoroughly and then hang the manikin to dry completely before the next changing session. It is very important that the manikin is dried properly to make sure that mold and mildew do not form. You can use the loop at the back of the manikin to suspend it in the air for effective drying.

Bleaches and chlorine-based cleaning fluids are highly effective against germs but using them will degrade the materials very quickly, decreasing the integrity of the fabric and stitching and shorten the usable life of your manikin. We do NOT recommend their use.

You may also want to consider the use of a Ruth Lee Carry holdall to store your manikin between training sessions. These are made from reinforced PVC and are very easy to clean…making sure that no one accidentally sneezes on your training buddy in passing!

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE

Always remember, prevention is better than the cure! So, if you can reduce the risk of contamination to your manikin in the first instance, this is always preferable.

Enforce strict health screening at your facility – have an open and honest culture built on trust whereby someone who is potentially suffering from COVID19, or has been in contact with someone who has, does not take part in training and potentially spread the virus. Live to train another day!

Please refer to the NHS website at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/wuhan-novel-coronavirus/ and/or the WHO website at https://www.who.int/ or the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/ for additional information on tackling the Coronavirus in your facility.

COVID-19: Cleaning Hardware

Our Friends at ISC Wales has provided valuable information on cleaning hardware of biologic contaminants.

COVID-19 is new to all of us and as such the information is changing regularly, however, there have been some trials and studies conducted to understand the Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions. A copy of the Test results, published in the Supplementary appendix of the article by Chin A W H, Chu J T S, Perera M R A, et al. Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions. Lancet Microbe 2020; published online April 2., can be viewed by clicking on this link.

As standard, ISC recommends that our products can be cleaned using a mild detergent and water with a temperature of 40 degrees C.  Following the cleaning procedure which includes detergents, the items should be rinsed in cold water.  The device should then be allowed to dry naturally in a well-ventilated area away from any direct heat source. The general consensus is that Bleach, Alcohol or Hydrogen Peroxide based products are the best options to remove the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from high-touch metallic items, without the ability to go through the full clean, wash and dry procedure.  Since Alcohol based products are the easiest to control, it is suggested that a solution of 70% IPA would be a good option for wiping down product surfaces. There is some evidence that some solutions containing bleach can damage webbing and stitching, so for webbing products ISC recommends following the prescribed cleaning procedure as the best option. There is evidence that using just hot water  at 56 degrees C for 30 minutes shows no presence of the coronavirus – see test results, published in the Supplementary appendix of the article by Chin A W H, Chu J T S, Perera M R A, et al. Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions. Lancet Microbe 2020.

Disclaimer: All of ISC recommended disinfecting solutions are advisory only. ISC assumes no liability for improper use of the products. It is the user’s responsibility to inspect their gear before each use, and should any doubt arise about its condition for safe use, the product should be immediately withdrawn from use and not used again until confirmed in writing by a competent person that it is safe to do so. Users should additionally follow government guidance relating to general rules to minimize the transmission of COVID-19.

https://www.rescuetech1.com/