Emergency training: The importance of being prepared

emergency training - caymanhealth

Being prepared in the event of an emergency enables quick action, reducing or avoiding dire outcomes. In Cayman, several organizations offer emergency and health-related training.

Hazard Management

Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) offers a broad range of training presentations for the public covering all hazards that the Cayman Islands is at risk from. These presentations are adaptable to businesses, government agencies and schools from primary through to university.

• All hazards and preparedness presentation
• Earthquake and tsunami presentation
• Hurricane preparedness

HMCI also offers CERT Training for Community Response Teams who assist in preparing and protecting communities in the case of disaster events; Business Continuity Planning overviews of BCP principles and benefits; and guidance for Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) which every Government Department and Agency is required to file, and help ensure quick restoration of operations following a hazardous event.

Health Services Authority

Alongside its clinical and continuing medical education (CME) training for staff, Health Services Authority also offers health related training for the public.

• Basic Life Support (CPR)
• Heartsaver AED (CPR)
• First Aid
• Parent Craft training
• Neonatal classes
• Smoking cessation
• Bariatric counseling
• Nutrition counseling
• Diabetic counseling

Red Cross

 

The Cayman Islands Red Cross is heavily involved in education and awareness to create a better prepared community and build community resilience. Their main training programs are:

• First Aid, CPR and AED training
• Lifeguard training
• Basic Water Rescue
• Darkness to light – Stewards of Children

Additional training is available on request, and there is also regular training for disaster preparedness. Email [email protected] for more information.

Emergency equipment

As well as emergency training, ensuring homes and offices have necessary emergency equipment on hand will improve the outcome of any health-related events. Equipment will vary by the type of home or office but likely inclusions are a first aid kit and AED machine.

First-aid kits can either be assembled by individuals or purchased complete from organizations such as the Cayman Islands Red Cross.
AED machines can also be purchased for offices, homes or organizations. Automated External Defibrillators are portable devices used to treat sudden cardiac arrest, in which the heart stops beating suddenly, starving the brain and other vital organs of blood. An AED checks heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm.

Emergency procedures

Emergency training is useful for the general public and could lessen the severity of emergency event outcomes in the home. It also comes in useful in an office environment. Companies should ensure they have at least one member of staff trained in CPR and another in first aid. If the company has an AED machine, they should also have members of staff trained to use it. Companies should keep up-to-date databases of staff medical conditions, if known, and next of kin and ensure evacuation routes and meeting spots are established.

For homeowners, a Medic Alert Pack, developed and distributed by Hazard Management Cayman Islands, can make a difference in an emergency. The pack provides first responders with quick and ready access to information about your medical history, medications and allergies. Simply fill out the two-sided information sheet, insert it into the Fridge Alert Envelope which sticks to your fridge door, and attach a fridge alert sticker to a front window in your home. Paramedics and first responders are aware of the stickers and their meaning, so they will know that potentially life-saving information will be readily available on the fridge.

For more information, contact Simon Boxall at [email protected] or 926-2027.