By Olatunde Ajayi
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Oyo Sector Command has empowered members of the Oyo State Park Management System (PMS) and other transport unions with emergency first responder training.
The training, organised in collaboration with the Dr Tunde Aladesanmi Foundation (DTAF), aims to reduce road traffic fatalities through investment in capacity building and the promotion of a community-based response system.
FRSC’s Sector Commander in Oyo, Corps Commander Kehinde Dahunsi, while declaring the training open on Saturday in Ibadan, said that road traffic crashes still remained a significant public health concern in Nigeria.
He noted that the difference between life and death often depends on the immediacy, quality, and coordination of the first response provided at the scene.
The FRSC boss noted that while preventive measures such as enforcement, public enlightenment and engineering are vital, the role of first responders cannot be overemphasised.
He added that prompt and effective intervention could drastically reduce fatalities and the severity of injuries.
“Every second counts in the aftermath of a road traffic crash. The theme of this training, ‘Bridging the First Responders’ Gap’, is not just a slogan but a call to action.
“This practical session is designed to equip drivers and other first responders with hands-on skills necessary to manage emergency situations before the arrival of professional rescue teams,” he said.
DTAF President, Dr Ken Adegoke, said the foundation was established in memory of Dr Tunde Aladesanmi, who lost his life alongside other doctors in a road accident in 2016.
Adegoke, represented by Dr Lemmy Adedamola, noted that the foundation aims to prevent unnecessary deaths on highways across Nigeria through effective collaboration with critical stakeholders such as the FRSC.
Prof. Olayinka Eyelade, a Professor of Anaesthesia at the University of Ibadan, led other medical experts in teaching participants how to provide basic life support for accident victims, resuscitation, and basic respiratory airway management.
Eyelade, a Consultant Anaesthetist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, urged first responders to always call the emergency toll-free number 112 or 122 before attending to victims so as to alert the FRSC and other relevant professionals.
She urged Nigerians to desist from the habit of recording accident victims with phones instead of attending to the victims.
“The dignity of the victim, even when they are dead, must be maintained. They should cover them with blankets and not bring out phones to start recording; to start doing social media content creation.
“First responders must be able to move closer to the victim to see whether they are still breathing, whether they still have a pulse palpating in their neck.
“Responders should know how to give rescue breaths, how to open the airway to ensure that the victim breathes in and out,” she said.
The Financial Secretary of Lagelu Local Government Area PMS, Mr Ibrahim Kadril, said that the training should be an essential requirement for obtaining driving papers, as drivers often find themselves in remote areas where rescue skills are needed.
The Newsmen reports that the training, held at “Iwo Road Bus Terminal 1”, had in attendance drivers and transport union executives from various motor parks within the Ibadan zone.
