Volunteer Emergency Response Team equipped with first aid skills
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, April 27, 2019
The Volunteer Emergency Response Team (VERT) programme continued Saturday as the participants were trained in First Aid response.
The exercise, which was held at the Civil Defence Commission’s (CDC) Thomas Lands Headquarters, saw the volunteers engaged in an interactive session where they learned the importance of first aid as well as the necessary skills.
The volunteers were placed into groups where they enacted various emergency situations which were analysed.
The facilitator of the workshop, Fayon Jordan, who is a certified First Aid Trainer, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that while the training focuses on basic first aid response, the volunteers are being trained to respond to multiple casualties.
“We’re not just focused on individual first aid, but multiple casualties as well so that in the event of a disaster, we should be able to handle it,” she explained.
According to her, being trained in first aid response is critical to disaster risk management because in most cases of disasters, there is some form of minor or major injuries.
VERT participant, Christopher Singh told DPI “the training is a holistic one as we are exposed to the different facets and what it is to be a first aid responder.”
Philbert Malcome, a VERT participant from Lethem deemed the training very important as the skills gained will be taken back to the communities and used to enhance the safety of the residence.
The VERT programme, which was launched in March, will be executed over one year and will see volunteers being trained in several areas. Some of these include Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis; Community Based Disaster Risk Management; First Aid Emergency Medical Response; Oil Spill Response, Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Management among others.
Anara Khan.
Images: Department of Public Information.