The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in collaboration with the World Rescue Organisation (WRO) is organising a two-week workshop for 120 fire officers to upgrade their skills on how to retrieve victims involved in road crashes.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday at the end of the official opening ceremony, Mr Ellis Robinson Okoe, Divisional Officer in Charge of Public Relations for GNFS expressed worry that poor handling of victims involved in road crashes contributed to their untimely death.

He suggested that a more professional approach to the rescue operations would sustain the lives of the victims before they received advance medical care.

Mr Okoe said it was the expectation that the 120 fire officers, drawn from the regions, would organise similar training programmes to upgrade the skills and expertise of their colleagues. period.

He said the course structure involved upgrading the knowledge and expertise of the officers on other aspects of their work.

Mr Rob MacDougall, Programme Manager of WRO said the objectives of the workshop included helping the fire officers to effectively and efficiently pre-plan for systemic approach to incidents, develop proper understanding and appreciation of rules and regulations, responsibilities, scene safety and assessment of operations and victims.

It is also aimed at assisting the officers to convey injured persons to a definitive place of care and to secure the scene and restrict access to non-authorised persons.

Mr MacDougall said he was optimistic that at the end of the workshop, which it is to be rolled out in batches for the officers, the GNFS would be professionally equipped to effectively handle their responsibilities and to meet internationally-acceptable practice.

WRO is an international body that incorporates national rescue organisations with the view to enhance and maintain emergency procedures and techniques for dealing with road traffic collisions.

Members of WRO include Ghana, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Spain, South Africa, Hungary and Luxemburg.

The organisation aims at providing training, resources and systems for rescue services in developing nations and to share technical and theoretical knowledge to establish global best practices.