Academy
Academy
GSA Academy is a UNI EN ISO 9001:2008 certified training school. Its team of highly qualified and specialised in-house trainers designs and delivers courses based on the strict standards set by our Quality System.
Training is the best form of prevention.
GSA is one of the few companies in Italy to deliver specific emergency management courses in minor airports and in H1, H2 and H3 heliports.
The courses are split into three macro-areas: Fire Training, Health and Safety in the Workplace, and First Aid.
Fire Training Courses
Drawing on its long-standing experience in preventing, monitoring and controlling the risk of fire, GSA designs and delivers specific fire training courses, certified in accordance with the UNI EN ISO 9001:2008 standard. GSA training focuses on identifying potential fire risks in the workplace, on the use of fire extinguishing devices, and on the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency. Through its highly specialised team, GSA teaches customers the correct procedure for using respiratory protective equipment, highlighting the different standards to be observed in low, medium or high risk situations.
This comprehensive training includes rescue and recovery courses and the management of dangerous airport, heliport and helipad rescue emergencies. Also envisaged is the simulation of various emergency situations similar to those that could occur in reality, generating fire outbreaks of various kinds which can be put out using different types of extinguishing devices, and conducting practice drills with both portable and wheeled fire extinguishers. In these cases, the utmost care is paid not to pollute the air or waste water.
Courses on health and safety in the workplace
GSA offers country-wide training courses on health and safety in the workplace based on low, medium or high risk situations. GSA training aims to provide basic and specialised knowledge to all stakeholders – from a company’s employees through to its managers and owners.
Specific training is provided both for HSE Officers (known as R.S.P.P. in Italy) and for Workers’ Health and Safety Representatives (known as R.L.S. in Italy). The course modules focus on the use of safety harnesses, on training for electrical workers, and on road safety. These modules include the simulation of specific emergency situations relating to the most diverse production contexts, from the classic office setting to specialised, high-risk sectors.
First aid courses
These courses are addressed to companies in Groups A, B and C. The material covered ranges from the procedure to alert the rescue team, to the effective identification of a health emergency, and through to the implementation of first aid measures within a company. In particular, the course modules train participants in delivering first aid in the event of severe head trauma and acute respiratory failure, as well as in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, in the procedure to stop bleeding, in lifting, moving and transporting traumatised patients, and in the dangers of exposure to chemical and biological agents. The aim of the courses is to limit the damages caused by injury and to ensure coordination and compatibility between the assistance services provided in-house and externally.
The facility
The first in Europe and the most advanced in Italy, the facility is one of a kind.
It is nestled in greenery and covers an area of 12,000 square metres. The school specialises in the theoretical and practical training of emergency teams in every area of safety and fire education. GSA Academy has quickly become a point of reference for safety and fire professionals.
The facility includes two multimedia classrooms, where participants are provided with all the tools and equipment required for the practice drills. There is also a guest house for participants travelling from other regions.
The GSA Academy’s educational/training courses include practical simulations that recreate situations very similar to those operators might have to face in real life. Its two fire structures host various simulators that can generate typical outbreaks of fire using solid, liquid or gaseous materials, as well as simulate an electrical panel on fire or various other emergency situations. Students are required to intervene in these emergency situations, either alone or in a team, using the different types of extinguishing agents currently available (dry powder, CO2 and foam).
Special patented structures make it possible to carry out various activities in confined spaces and/or conditions of suspected pollution: from fighting controlled fire outbreaks generated in closed environments, to
evacuation tests in environments invaded by non-toxic smoke, where the sounds and noises typical of emergencies are also generated. There are also a number of multimedia classrooms for theoretical and recreational activities.
In May 2014, GSA Academy also inaugurated a new earthquake simulator. The project stems from the need to teach young people, workers and citizens in general the good practices to be adopted in the event of an earthquake, following an educational approach based on direct experience.
Facilities and equipment available
- Fire tunnel;
- Smoke gallery;
- Cistern for simulation in a confined space;
- Simulator panel to close off utilities;
- Training shaft with fire blanket;
- Gas-powered simulators for class A and class C fires and 200-litre drum for the simulation of class B fires;
- 100 sqm gas-powered fire prevention tank;
- Water/foam monitor;
- Earthquake simulator;
- Various hydraulic fittings (reducers, Y-splitters, three way tees);
- Complete water line with 2X70 surface hydrant, hose reel boxes, DN-45 hydrant boxes, underground hydrant coupling and delivery port for fire brigade pumps;
- 2 multimedia training rooms seating 25 students each.
Other equipment includes: backpack fire pumps; portable fire extinguishers (dry powder, CO2 and water); wheeled fire extinguishers; various types of DN-70 and DN-45 fire hose nozzles (lever or rotational control, American nozzles); infrared cameras. Finally, students can also make use of self-contained breathing apparatuses, helmets, torches, kevlar ropes, masks (for practice drills in smoke tunnels), fire blankets and PPE (personal protective equipment such as safety hard hats with visor, nomex jackets and heat-resistant gloves). The facility also has changing rooms for students and a lift for the disabled.
Environmental protection
GSA Academy pays great attention to the environment through the careful design of extraction and abatement systems. Forced extraction and abatement with water mist (a patented system) allows us to perform fire simulations in closed structures, reproducing situations similar to those that could occur in reality – poor visibility, smoke, heat, etc. – while protecting the environment from harmful emissions.
The water used to cool the structures and abate the extinguishing agents is purified and recirculated, without waste and without harming the environment.
Last but not least, GSA Academy has also inaugurated a new earthquake simulator, it too an exclusive patent. The platform, contained in a single-panel structure, reproduces the typical roaring sound of an earthquake, and the actual shock can be adjusted in intensity and duration.
Sustainable simulation
The water used to cool the structures and abate the extinguishing agents is purified and recirculated, without waste and without harming the environment. Utmost protection of the ecosystem is one of the main cornerstones of our group’s value system.