LSAR members return from overseas training
By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes. com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - FOUR members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Land Search and Rescue (LSAR) team recently returned to the Federation after participating in a Structural Collapse Rescue workshop in Panama.
Last week, Deputy Leader of the LSAR team Fire Officer Timothy Martin, Fire Officer Romel Williams, Emergency Medical Technician Ronald Roberts and Fire Officer Katherine Joseph left the Federation to participate in the second phase of the Structural Collapse Rescue workshop.
In an exclusive interview, Williams told SKNVibes that the workshop was a follow-up to the first phase held in December last.
“It was a follow-up to the one we did last year, but this year was more practical.
We went more in depth into the different techniques used in rescuing persons from collapsed structured.”
Williams explained that the workshop was both exhilarating and intricate, but there was nothing that the team could not have handled.
“It was both difficult and exciting at the same time. It was not difficult in terms of understanding, but it was more of a challenge because of the things we had to do, such as crawling over rocks and boulders and really heavy people. But we managed to complete the workshop successfully.”
Williams said that on completion of the workshop all members were presented certificates indicating they have been trained in Structural Collapse Rescue.
“Now that we have returned, we will be charged with the responsibility for training the other LSAR members. We don’t have a set date as yet, but it is high on the agenda,” Williams expressed.
In providing insight into plans for further training, Williams told SKNVibes that “there should be follow-up training which would be geared towards preparing Caribbean instructors to conduct courses in the region, which would minimise the need for pooling resources from overseas.
The St. Kitts-Nevis LSAR team is led by the Fire Department and is aimed at providing assistance in locating and rescuing people. In addition to the Fire Department, the team comprises employees of the Emergency Medical Services, Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, as well as volunteers.
