Now, coastal cops to get lifeguard-like training

PANAJIr rIn a statement, Drishti Lifesaving has said, the training sessions are being conducted at the request of Umesh Y Gaonkar, SP, Coastal Security, Panaji and will aid the coastal police in carrying out coastal rescue operations in a more swift and efficient manner especially during emergencies. r“Drishti has offered its wholehearted support to the programme and has drawn up an intense curriculum designed especially for the needs of the coastal police personnel,” Ankit Somani, MD, Drishti Lifesaving said. rThe five-day training session for the first batch of 30 coastal police, will take place from July 4-8 followed by subsequent batches. The officials will be trained by a team of experts lead by Lalit Negi, General Manager (Training), Drishti Lifesaving Pvt. Ltd under the course syllabus recommended by the Special Rescue Training Academy (SRTA) accredited to IRIA (Canada). rThe first batch of 30 Coastal Security Police personnel will undergo training as per international standards. During the first three days of training the Coastal Security Police officials will go through pool and classroom sessions. The pool sessions will take place at SAG swimming pool at Campal, Panaji which include stretch exercises, 100 meters non-stop swimming, stroke corrections, three and five meter jumps, underwater swimming, basic rescue tube skills and how to save people with a rescue tube, sea survival techniques among other activities. The classroom sessions include lectures on basic Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) skills, standard precautions for providing care to casualties, basic first aid techniques, basic knots “ types and uses, introduction to Automated External Defibrillators (AED) and more. rOn the fourth day of training the officials of the Coastal Security Police will go through beach sessions at Miramar which include a beach run and physical exercises, types of lifts and carries for casualties, use of a spine board and its practices, patient recovery, CPR drills, layout and advantages of lifeguard towers, types of rescue equipment, types of flags, introduction to petrol jeeps and Jet Ski and their roles, surf awareness and sea hazards. rThe final day of training will take place at Ribandar Jetty where the Coastal Security Police officials will practice rescue tube skills, jumps, rescue dives, sea survival practices among a few with the help of a patrol vessel and inflatable rescue boats. rThe initiative is part of the Coastal Security Police’s efforts to conduct regular training sessions and ensure that the coastal police force is trained and equipped with the right kind of skills and updated knowledge.