Course recently. (Barbados Defence Force)
The Barbados Defence Force’s Field Medical Team (BDF FMT) has been described as one of the most important innovations and additions to the Regional Response Mechanism.
Military Advisor to the Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Lovell, made this assertion as he addressed the opening ceremony of the BDF Field Medical Team’s Emergency Medical Teams and Mass Casualty Management Training Course recently.
Lieutenant Colonel Lovell noted that the Caribbean was under threat from severe weather systems at least six months a year. Additionally, he stated that there was always the looming threat of seismic and volcanic events which imperil the lives of our citizens.
He reminded partners from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and the participants, that the BDF FMT was envisaged and developed based on the outcomes and lessons-learnt from the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
The course is also designed to prepare the BDF FMT team for Barbados’ hosting of Exercise TRADEWINDS 2024 in May, this year, and the Men’s T-20 Cricket World Cup Series in June.
The Military Advisor posited that the successful development of the BDF FMT was heavily dependent on the benevolence and cooperation of international, regional and local organisations.
He added that the region stood to benefit significantly from the course which comprises approximately 60 participants and service persons from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia and Guyana.
In her remarks, Executive Director of CARPHA, Dr. Joy St. John, commended the work and vision of the BDF FMT, noting that the course represented a significant step towards a regional network of trained public health professionals, who are equipped to deploy in response to various adverse situations.
In addition, PAHO Advisor, Health Emergencies (Caribbean), Lealou Reballos, stressed that the training in mass casualty management was “very important”.
Head of the European delegation in Barbados, Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska, said that after seeing the hospital set-up last year, she was “extremely impressed”, and even more so now, to see the regional participants on the course.
Noting that she was in the region when Hurricane Maria struck Dominica, the Ambassador said she has seen and understood the extent of the risks the Caribbean was faced with every year.
“This field hospital brings the best common knowledge, and skills, and is the best example of regional integration,” she said, adding it was important that an adequate number of persons be available to respond to local and regional crises.
Executive Officer of the BDF FMT, Lieutenant (Coast Guard) Anderson Goodridge, stated that having persons trained to deal with high-scale emergency events was critical to minimise the loss of life, while ensuring that all affected persons received the necessary care within the shortest possible time.
He added that the training will see participants being engaged in learning how to apply available medical resources effectively to mass casualty incident victims to give the most appropriate care as well as improve safety.
Over the coming days, participants will look at areas such as the triage process, communication strategies, roles and responsibilities for an effective coordinated response, and treatment techniques.
It is expected that participants’ skills for mass casualty response, logistical support, clinical and administrative services required for the BDF FMT Type Two hospital will be enhanced.
The training sessions, which run from March 16 to 24, are being facilitated by the BDF FMT, and the Pan American Health Organization, with support by CARPHA. Funding is being provided from the European Union’s 11th EDF Programme of Support for Health Security Strengthening for Prevention and Control of Outbreaks of Communicable Diseases in the Caribbean.
The objective is to increase the cadre of trained personnel available for emergency deployment in preparation for the 2024 T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup and beyond. It concludes at the National Stadium, Waterford, St. Michael, where the hospital is currently erected with a simulation exercise coming off over the weekend from March 23 to 24.