PERTH-BASED workplace safety business IFAP has opened Australia’s first freefall lifeboat training facility, aimed at servicing the needs of the offshore oil and gas industry.
Participants in the training course plunge eight metres into the waters off Rous Head in Fremantle, preparing them for what to expect in an offshore emergency.
Until now, workers have had to fly to Malaysia for training, and IFAP is expecting a strong demand for the new service.
Freefall lifeboats are used extensively on vessels and rigs throughout the oil and gas industry, but many companies have a policy to not deploy their freefall lifeboats except in an emergency; so for many workers IFAP’s course will be the only chance to get practical experience in operating or using the lifeboat.
The lifeboats are positioned over the water and in an emergency drop up to 30 metres into the water below, briefly submerging then re-emerging about 50 metres away from the launch site.
IFAP, a non profit, member-based organisation, offers two freefall lifeboat training courses – one for general staff and a second for occupational health and safety workers who will run an evacuation in the case of an emergency.
The courses will also be tailored to comply with the differing regulations across the offshore and maritime industries.
IFAP operates six training facilities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and its Fremantle centre is the only offshore and maritime training facility in the state with direct harbour access.
Centre operations manager Mike Gillespie said the facility was part of IFAP’s quest to be a one-stop shop for maritime and offshore training.
The centre also runs internationally recognised courses in underwater helicopter crash escape, aviation escape and survival, fire safety and awareness, and general safety for the oil and gas facility.
The facility was launched by Premier Colin Barnett last month.
The lifeboat to be used for training was provided by Scottish-based company Survival Craft Inspectorate, which will use the facility to train its workers in lifeboat maintenance.
