The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the Nigeria Red Cross Society has begun the training of its personnel on basic “First Aid’’ and casualty handling during disasters.
NEMA Director-General, retired AVM Muhammadu Mohammed, who declared the training open on Thursday in Sokoto, said it was in line with the policy and guidelines of the agency to effectively respond to emergencies.
Represented by Dr Kofoworola Soleye, Head of NEMA Operations Office, Sokoto, Mohammed said it was also in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy drive toward building a robust emergency medical service in the country.
He said that the training would improve the competence of the personnel in disaster management and equip them with appropriate skills.
“NEMA organises certification and re-certification training on `Basic First Aid Courses’ for staff of the agency, to improve their capacity and further reposition the agency to efficiently and effectively discharge its mandates.
“The Red Cross Society which is one of the major partners of NEMA in disaster management and popularly a major stakeholder in providing humanitarian aid has been engaged to train the workers.
“The training is to fast-track efficient handling of emergencies and enable the staff to apply requisite skills to meet up with the global standards,’’ Mohammed said.
The director-general said that NEMA was committed to improving on the staff competence and operational readiness by ensuring that they were provided with the right skills for appropriate management of disasters.
“The training will help NEMA staff to feel more secure and confident when dealing with emergency situations, minimising risks, equip them with the lifesaving skills and ability to react immediately to accidents.
“The application of Basic First Aid is one of the critical components of disaster management.
“It provides for immediate support in resuscitating and stabilising of impacted victims of disasters pending arrival of qualified medical professionals or on the route to medical facilities where they can receive proper care.
“The skills are critically used by paramedics in the management of victims of disasters prior to arrival of medical specialists,’’ he said. (NAN)
