The event, held last Friday (July 10), was offered mainly to the hospitality industry primarily for properties guarded by Siam Guardian Services (SGS), noted SGS managing director Barrie Buck.
“At SGS, training is an important philosophy that is practiced throughout the company from every level,” he said.
“It is also important for us to be able to pass the knowledge and training on to our protected properties, especially when relatively new developments have been introduced to the industry, such as the AED [Automated External Defibrillators].”
Mr Buck has over 25 years of experience with the UK armed forces, with a number of years as a senior instructor for the UK special forces. He consequently holds several instructor qualifications, including several related to safety and security awareness.
“It is common practice to know how to use one of these portable machines in many Western countries already, and we would like to pass this knowledge on to the Thai staff that primarily work with Western tourists, who will be expecting the same level of care when travelling as they can receive in their own countries,” he said.
The workshop showcased the scope of training at SGS, introduced the company’s reformed guarding backup system, and put participants through scenario drills, which is part of the new Emergency Response Team Course recently launched by SGS.
The event was the first workshop event SGS hosted.
“Our launch event earlier this year was more of an informational seminar on the available training courses that we offer. The feedback that we had from this event was that regular safety workshops would be welcome,” said Mr Buck.
“We have also been asked to form a security managers club, where ideas and information can be passed to members easily and efficiently. So the workshops may become more of a regular event, but at the moment we will aim to offer one workshop every six months.”
The skills learnt during the workshop, particularly the CPR/AED course are useful for people of all walks of life. They are not just skills that can be used for the workplace, but they can be used in a case of emergency at home, in car accidents and in many situations which can take place at anytime.
“But they are very important for people working around a lot of other people, like hotels,” explained Mr Buck.
“The Emergency Response Team part of the workshop is to showcase the ERT course that we recently launched and the actual course requires a more selected group, which would usually be formed from the middle management team and across all departments to ensure that responsibility is evenly spread and that there are members of the team present at all times to response to an emergency.
“It is so important to always be prepared for an emergency or and incident that could interrupt normal business operations, and to have a team that can respond immediately without hesitation having had several practice drills throughout the year.”
The CPR and AED part of the workshop is an excerpt from the an internationally recognised Emergency First Response Course used by many corporations worldwide, including PADI. It follows the guidelines set out by ILCOR (International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation).
“Our instructors at SGS are accredited with EFR, having completed their instructor training courses,” Mr Buck explained.
The second part of the workshop is from a course developed by SGS, which incorporates the EFR course along with the other SGS courses, which have been approved by the Skills Development Department in Phuket.
“Our instructor for this course has completed his training in Thailand with the Department of Disaster and Mitigation, and all courses at SGS comply with the tax benefits for corporate training,” said Mr Buck.
“And as EFR is internationally recognised, a certificate for this course which is valid for two years, can be used worldwide and will be accepted as a first-aid-responder certification by most employers.”
A course cost generally depends on the number of days required to complete to certification level, and whether international certification is required. A “join in” course can be booked for individuals on one of their scheduled classes, which are offered monthly, and the price will depend on which course is required.
Corporate discounts apply for privately booked courses, and SGS also have preferred rates for SGS protected properties.
“Many of our courses are customised to suit the client, so pricing will be determined on training requirements,” said Mr Buck.
A full EFR course will begin at the SGS Training Centre on July 21.
For more information visit SGSPhuket.com