Driver First Assist secures funding from DfT

12.00 | 25 January 2017 | | 1 comment
 
A road safety initiative which trains drivers to provide life-saving first aid at the scene of a road traffic collision (RTC) has been awarded funding by the DfT.
 
Announced on the Logistics Manager website last week (18 Jan), Drivers First Assist (DFA) says it will use the funding to communicate the benefits of first responder training to a wider audience of professional drivers, fleet operators and transport managers.
 
DFA hopes the funding will reduce the number of preventable deaths while enabling the faster re-opening of roads after major collisions.
 
DFA is a not for profit organisation comprising drivers who have been trained to provide life saving first aid and manage the scene at a RTC, prior to the arrival of the emergency services. It was created with the help of the police, ambulance and fire and rescue services, with whom it continues to work in partnership.
 
DFA says many deaths occur from little more than a blocked airway, a condition that, with the right training, is relatively easy to treat. It adds that death from a blocked airway occurs in about four minutes, while the target time for an ambulance is eight minutes.
 
DFA also points to figures which it says show that 50% of RTC deaths occur before the emergency services arrive.
 
David Higginbottom, chief executive and director of DFA, told Logistics Manager: “DFA has been successfully operating training courses for over two years and in that time we’ve heard of a number of instances where DFA members have been able to assist at the scene of a road traffic incident.
 
“The funding from the DfT is vital to help us increase awareness and uptake of the courses.
 
“With significant numbers of trained DFA members on our roads we can guarantee, working in partnership with the emergency services, a reduction in preventable deaths, lessen the severity of injuries and enabling the faster re-opening of roads after major incidents, key benefits for all concerned.”
 

Comments

Comment on this story

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Report a reader comment

Order by Latest first | Oldest first | Highest rated | Lowest rated

    I support this initiative wholeheartedly. In my previous life I worked for The St John Ambulance Association as The Assistant County Development Officer for Greater Manchester (the commercial teacher/training arm). Some of my responsibilities was the promotion of first aid training in all walks of life. All commercial vehicle carry a first aid kit required by law and some simple basic training on the Life Saving Measures would not come amiss for everyone.


    Bob Craven Lancs
    Agree (0) | Disagree (0)
    0

By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close