Lifeline's capacity building & training initiatives aim to create skilled first responders and first aid providers on highways, to aid rescue operations at site before medical help arrives. Structured modules address various groups. Depending on education, comprehension and competence levels of individual groups the intensity and content differ.
Basic human anatomy, principles of first aid, management of bleeding, fractures, head, abdominal and chest injuries, burns, Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and transportation of victims form components of training exercises spread over 1 to 3 days depending on groups.
Supported by Oil PSUs and UNDP, petrol pumps along the highways are targeted to provide training to at least one attendant in every shift at each petrol pump; 24 hours availability of water, light, telephones, transportation facilities and first aid boxes make petrol pumps a very common refuge on Indian highways for accident victims.
Government Hospitals (PHC), Doctors, paramedics and nurses:
Supported by Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA) and UNDP. This activity has so far been undertaken at 17 of the 25 District Head Quarters in Gujarat to equip these clinical manpower with newer expertise in post trauma pre-hospital care within the limitations of their set ups in the village health centres. More than 1500 nurses and doctors have been trained.
City & Rural Traffic Police:
Supported by UNDP and Police Departments, Traffic Police who are called in to coordinate incident management are trained in primary first aid at site and evacuation and transportation of victims. Post training surveys showed marked improvement in their proactive involvement in accidents.
School children:
Supported by local corporates, an initiative in Vadodara with help from the city police and fire departments has been taken up to train 50 students each from 50 schools.
Villagers:
Supported by UNDP, villagers are trained through a joint concerted effort of Lifeline and local authorities. Around 388 villages, which are at a maximum distance of 500 meters from the highways are targeted to sensitize villagers to aid accident victims.
National Trauma Management Course:
Lifeline Foundation, in partnership with the Ahmedabad based Academy of Traumatology, organizes training courses at par with ATLS. The training is imparted by faculties from various countries searched and conducted by Academy of Traumatology.
Yuvak mandals (Youth Associations):
Starting this year, Lifeline wishes to train 5 members each of the 1500 odd yuvak mandals in the city of Baroda. Lifeline considers these men and women, as torch bearers of EMS in Vadodara.
Housewives in housing societies:
Lifeline views housewives as an important link in enhancing acceptability of the EMS concept as well as a dedicated resource base for any medical disaster striking the neighbourhood..
