Ambulance personnel during their training session.
PHILIPSBURG--The Ambulance Department personnel of Ministry Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA successfully completed a recent weeklong training in advanced life support (ALS) recently.
The training allowed the Ambulance and Fire Departments to come together with the aim of exchanging knowledge and improving cooperation techniques, towards improving collaborative response in emergency and crisis situations.
The training sessions were directed and guided on the primary process level by emergency care nurse practitioner of the Regional Ambulance Organization RAV of Brabant Middle-West-North Holland Ruud Verhalle and Stefan Beuker of the Groningen Ambulance Department.
Ambulance Department head Cylred Richardson said this specific type of training and more will continue twice annually as part of an extended three-year cooperation agreement with RAV following Hurricane Irma.
The training week ended with a joint scaled-up scenario in the parking lot of the Fire and Ambulance Departments in which command and control was demonstrated together with the on-duty medical officer and on-duty fire officer. This scenario showed the cooperation between the various disciplines with the end motto One Team, One Mission is Good Care.
VSA Minister Emil Lee said, “I would like to congratulate management and the ambulance teams on the successful completion of the training. The effective collaboration of both units is crucial to ensuring the safety and care of those in need and reliant on these services in emergency situations.
“I know that both teams are truly dedicated to their work and I commend them for continuously going above and beyond to maintain their skills and knowledge, but to also share and improve with others. I am very proud of the dedication to consistently improve on the quality of service.”
