RCAPP

Recompression Chamber Assistance & Partnership Program

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Since 1997, the mission of RCAPP is to assist and partner with recompression chambers in areas of equipment, training and emergency assistance, to ensure their availability, quality and safety in times of need.
DAN has been actively promoting this program, reaching over 200 chambers throughout the world, even in the most remote countries.

It actually is in these remote locations where RCAPP originally started. Due to the remoteness of some chambers and the fact that most of those chambers only treat dive accidents and are not hospital based, it is important that we know that, when we refer a diver to such a facility, they are in good hands.

RECOMPRESSION CHAMBER RISK ASSESSMENT

One of the services we offer to chambers is a risk assessment, where a team of assessors reviews the facility's functionality, intrinsic safety, operating procedures and the level of training of the staff.

After this visit, the team returns back home with plenty of pictures and technical notes that are used to compile a personalized Risk Assessment Report, with specific recommendations for the visited chamber.

The confidential report, with applicable and appropriate feedback and information, is then forwarded to the Recompression facility and is intended to guide them in addressing and improving highlighted points in order to comply with the standards and guidelines as described in the International Risk Assessment Guide, a guide authorised by Francois Burman, Pr. Eng, President of DAN Southern Africa and Director of Underwater & Hyperbaric Safety (DAN America).

This is also the moment where we best understand the needs of the hyperbaric chamber facility and can offer technical or medical assistance. This goes from resolving some basic technical issues they might face, but can also include diving medical advice from one of our specialists.

WHO BENEFITS FROM RCAPP?
CHAMBERS

Chambers participating in the RCAPP benefit from medical and technical assistance they receive and from the possibility in participating in one or more of the above training programs.
Additionally, they are included in a mailing list, making it possible for them to remain informed about technical developments and about the organisation of any possible training opportunity in their region.

DIVERS

Divers benefit from our partnership with hyperbaric chambers by getting access to these facilities in case of need. Through knowing the chambers and creating a partnership with them, we are able to provide our members with the best possible and appropriate care should an emergency happen.
 

THE PROJECT IN NUMBERS
Over 200
Hyperbaric chambers
34
Courses until 2018
250
Attendees
HYPERBARIC CHAMBER COURSES

One of the issues Hyperbaric Chambers in remote locations are faced with relate to their staff. Many chambers rely on local diving staff to help them during hyperbaric treatments. And since these persons can change over time, new staff frequently need to be trained. Also, their medical staff rotate out or move on. This medical staff (Doctors) then train the local staff, but without any formal training program or student materials.
Course content and organisation will thus change, depending on the doctor’s own teaching and this creates confusion amongst those who work at the chamber.

The DAN RCAPP team soon recognised the need for personalised training at such facilities and developed a free, 3-day Chamber Attendant course and a 5-day Chamber Operator course, aimed at teaching the local staff on how to work as an attendant inside the chamber and how to operate a chamber from the outside.

Since not every chamber is the same, personalised slides and manuals are created and made for every chamber. These are then left with the chamber so they can organise future training themselves.

Additionally, in order to help them with some technical issues, a hyperbaric viewport and basic maintenance course was developed and made available to the network of hyperbaric chambers.

RCAPP SPONSORSHIP
Hyperbaric Safety Director Course

To increase safety in a hyperbaric facility, each chamber should have a specially trained Safety Officer, overseeing all that relates to safety in a hyperbaric setting. However, getting trained isn’t always the easiest and cheapest thing to do.

Every year, in order to assist needy chambers, DAN offers the opportunity, to a remote hyperbaric facility, to send a staff member to the US and to attend the International ATMO Hyperbaric Safety Director Training Course.
Each chamber participating in RCAPP can send their request for sponsorship to DAN Europe. All received requests are evaluated and a candidate picked from amongst the received requests.

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