The Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI) and the Integrated Centre for Disaster Management (ICDM) have jointly launched Basic Life Support (BLS) training for first responders enlisted to help people in distress during disasters in all coastal districts of the State.
Fifty first responders in Rameswaram island, who are already trained in Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) joined the two-day training programme organised at multipurpose evacuation centre at Peikarumbu in Rameswaram on Thursday. They were trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), an emergency procedure offered to people who suffer cardiac arrest.
“We have launched the pilot project in Rameswaram, birth place of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who wanted a person trained in CPR in every household, on the occasion of International Disaster Risk Reduction Day which fell on October 13,” said Paul D Patric, State consultant, Disaster Management and Executive Director, ICDM.
All the 50 first responders have been individually trained in CPR and will be undergo training in fire and rescue management on Friday. The best among them will be selected for the State-level ‘Master Trainers’ programme. The CMAI and ICDM proposed to train selected first responders in all 12 coastal districts before launching the State-level training.
This is part of national-level training envisaged by the CMAI. The CMAI and ICDM have designed the training programme to fully equip the first responders to not only respond during disasters but provide emergency services to people in coastal areas before they are shifted to hospital for proper treatment. All trained first responders will be given a certificates and first aid kit, he added.
Alex from Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), Abija Princi, Christian Medical College (CMC) Hospital Vellore and Paramanantham and Jasmine Begum offered training in CPL and other BLS. Santhosh and Sathiyapriya, regional facilitators, ICDM, coordinated the programme. District Fire Officer Arulanandu, Tahsildar Abdul Jaffar and IRCS district secretary Rockland Maduram were present.
