| -Equipped to respond to road traffic accidentsFollowing four days of training by a French delegation of fire fighters from the French Guiana Fire Service, 25 ranks of the Guyana Fire Service are now equipped to render their services to assist not only victims from a fire scene but also victims involved in road accidents.Transferring an injured victim from the spinal board to the decompressing mattress.The trainees were officially certified as rescue agents following a ceremony, yesterday,Victor Oladipo Thunder Swingman Jersey, at the Fire Service Headquarters. Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee, Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle,Daley Blind Jersey UK, French Police Attache Jean Yves Le Clech and Major Patrick Castello attached to the French Guiana Fire Service were among those witnessing the graduation ceremony.The training in first aid and traffic accidents which commenced last Monday was designed to assist the Guyana Fire Service to adopt the French system where, according to French Police Attache Jean Yves Le Clech, 90 per cent of their interventions were in traffic accidents. Fires accounted for the other 10 per cent.Chief Trainer, Patrick Castello, said that the trainees began at a very low level but after four days,Graham Knott Jersey, major improvement was seen.He said that he is confident that the job will be done right if there is need for their intervention in any traffic accidents.However, in order for the Service to be fully competent, the training, normally a three week programme in French Guiana, must be completed.According to the French Police Attache, measures will be taken to have a selection of the best trainees to attend advanced classes in French Guiana so as to complete their training.Following the extended programme, the fully trained fire fighters will be in a position to relay to their colleagues what they had taught.The fire fighters were trained to assess the situation of a road accident by determining the state of the victim; whether the person is conscious, unconscious,Alan Trammell Tigers Jersey, assessing the victim’s breathing and checks to determine if internal injuries were sustained.In addition, the programme involved enlightening the trainees to the uses of a spinal board and a decompression mattress, equipment that are pertinent to saving the lives of victims in an accident scene.Victim secured and ready to be transported to hospital for medical attention.The Major explained that getting the victim out of a badly or partially damaged vehicle is the most important aspect of the job. “Sometimes moving the victim makes the situation worse and the victim dies on the way to the hospital,” he said.He said that with the training received during the past week, fire fighters are now capable of extracting the victim out of a badly damaged car, a process that would involve bringing the car to pieces.Following the ceremony, a number of the trainees demonstrated the actions that must be taken to successfully extract an injured victim from a damaged car.The process involved using the spinal board,Leonard Fournette Jersey, which is designed to protect spinal column, head and neck from further damage.The victim was then placed in a decompression mattress, which prevents the victim from being jerked about while being transported to the hospital.The spinal board and decompression mattress used in the demonstration along with neck braces were elements included in a donation by the French to equip the local fire service with items that are necessary in any accident scene.Chief Fire Officer,Larry Robinson Canadiens Jersey, Marlon Gentle, in an invited comment, said that the training and equipment received will definitely help the service to be more efficient in saving people from crashed vehicles, getting them out without further injuries and being able to stabilize them before medical personnel can take over.According to the Home Affairs Minister, even though the move to change the name of the service from the Guyana Fire Service to the Guyana Fire and Rescue Service was rejected by the political opposition without explanation; the service will be practicing rescue services for the people of Guyana.He added that he is very pleased with the international cooperation of the French Government for providing the necessary assistance to the Guyana Fire Service. |
