Help is at hand for Queensland truckies who find themselves the first to arrive on the scene at road crashes on rural and regional roads.
The Queensland Trucking Association (QTA), in partnership with the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC) is facilitating First on Scene: Remote Incident Training for Heavy Vehicle Driver training sessions around Queensland.
Griffith University is also working in collaboration with QTA and MAIC to conduct a project and outcome evaluation.
The aim is to train 150 heavy vehicle drivers who frequently travel highway, regional and remote routes in first aid and other immediate crash scene management skills.
The training will be delivered by qualified professionals from the Queensland Ambulance Service; St John’s Ambulance; Queensland Police Service and Energy Queensland.
The half day face-to-face training sessions will be held for drivers around the state who travel on rural and regional routes and will involve practical application of learned skills. The training is fully funded by MAIC and participants will receive a Certificate of Completion.
The training is expected to start in December 2022 and run through to November 2023.
A recent survey undertaken indicates that 70 per cent of regional and remote area heavy vehicle drivers report having been first on the scene of a road crash.
Fifty percent of these drivers report having provided first aid for more than an hour before medical help arrived.
“We are pleased to be rolling out this training to support our heavy vehicle drivers who are often exposed to confronting scenes on our roads,” said Gary Mahon, QTA CEO.
“We want to ensure that they are well equipped to manage these incidents practically and safely, not only to look after themselves, but to provide the necessary assistance when emergency service authorities are required to travel long distances to the site.”
Insurance commissioner, Motor Accident Insurance Commission, Neil Singleton said that with such a wide state to cover, truck drivers need to be on our roads night and day, and will often face incidents where they are required to provide emergency first aid.
“Within the Queensland Compulsory Third Party Scheme, while incidents in rural and remote areas thankfully happen less frequently, they often result in more serious injuries,” said Singleton.
“Providing correct training in first aid and first response can provide lifesaving assistance at the scene of a road crash, prior to the arrival of emergency services. MAIC is proud to be collaborating in this First of Scene initiative which will provide important skills to ensure a truck driver can safely respond to these incidents if required.”
Dr Darren Wishart, the research lead on the project, said this is a great initiative to support heavy vehicle drivers and regional road safety and an opportunity to evaluate the benefits of such a unique program.
“First on Scene training provides an opportunity for heavy vehicle drivers to provide lifesaving primary care to road crash victims at a critical time,” said Dr Wishart.
Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Assistant Commissioner for Central Region, Robbie Medlin said that we know all too well just how critical the first moments after a road incident really are.
“For many serious road incidents, it can be the difference between life and death,” said Medlin.
“Some members of our community, like heavy vehicle drivers, are more likely to come across a road crash than others. This means it is incredibly important for them to know the basics of how to respond – this includes everything from knowing how to call Triple Zero (000), being comfortable with CPR and basic first aid.”
In the event of an emergency in rural and remote areas, QTA recommend the use of the Emergency+ App to identify the exact location of the crash site.
This can save precious minutes for emergency services. The free app uses GPS functionality to help a Triple Zero (000) caller provide critical details required to mobilise an emergency response, including exact location details.
For more information on how you can get involved in the First on Scene training program, visit qta.com.au/projects.
Earlier this year, NT trucking boss Louise Bilato revealed she was confident that she had the research she needed to support a case to fund more first responder training for truckies across Australia.
The executive officer of the NT Road Transport Association presented the findings of a comprehensive survey into the largely overlooked element of the job for the first time publicly at the Trucking Australia conference on the Gold Coast.
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