100 Bayelsa students, teachers trained in emergency response

• The Bayelsa Students and others

FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company Limited and the NNPC Limited/FIRST E&P Joint Venture, in partnership with the Health Emergency Initiative, have trained over 100 secondary school students and teachers from public schools in Bayelsa State in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency response skills.

The two-day training in Yenagoa was designed to equip the participants with basic skills to provide immediate assistance during emergencies before professional medical help arrives.

The Executive Director and founder of HEI, Paschal Achunine, said the initiative was aimed at changing the attitude of bystanders from recording emergencies on social media to taking proactive steps to save lives.

“Our expectation is that as opposed to the current practice, where people take pictures and videos and put on social media when an emergency happens, we’ll see more proactive response, a robust response from young people,” he said.