Chamber Operator Course
This course is designed to train chamber operators to function inside and outside hyperbaric chambers
This training course contains the theoretical components of the European Certified Hyperbaric Chamber Operator (ECHCO) certification. It is a compilation of materials that are available on the internet, from various textbooks and other relevant sources.
Not all of these sources are referenced specifically in this document. It has been drawn from many sources. The main aim, however, is to provide the necessary theoretical background for the safe operation of hyperbaric chambers and to ensure that appointed ECHCOs are knowledgeable about the hyperbaric conditions they work in and their responsibilities while operating a chamber.
Your Instructor
Dr Frans Cronje received his Medical, BSc(Hons) and a MSc degree in Aerospace Medicine from the University of Pretoria in 1991, 1997 and 2007 respectively . He completed a clinical and research Fellowship program in Diving, Hyperbaric and Underwater Medicine at Duke University, Durham, NC, USA in 2003. He is considered the pioneer of modern hyperbaric oxygen therapy in Southern Africa and has dedicated 25 years of his professional career to introduce and expand this scientific, therapeutic modality in South Africa.
He is the founder, past President and a current Board Member of Divers Alert Network of Southern Africa – a not-for-profit company dedicated to the assistance and safety of recreational divers. He has assisted many divers both directly and through the DAN emergency Hotline over the past two decades. Formerly in private practice at the first private hyperbaric medical facility at Eugene Marais in Pretoria is now Medical Director of the Baromedical Facility at University of Stellenbosch operated by the Emergency Services of the Department of Health – Western Cape. He is also a researcher and senior lecturer at the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences, Division of Community Health, University of Stellenbosch.
He is the past President of the International Congress of Hyperbaric Medicine and was the host for their 17th International Meeting in Cape Town from 16-19 March 2011. Frans has also served three terms as President of the Southern African Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Association (SAUHMA) and was the founding President of the Wound Healing Association of Southern Africa (WHASA) in 2005.