Government Launches First Aid Training for Forestry Workers Under VEEP

The Volcanic Eruption Emergency Project (VEEP) launched a Wilderness First Aid Training Program on Thursday 15 May, 2025 in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross Society (SVGRC).

The Wilderness First Aid Training Program will engage thirty (30) participants–including twenty five (25) Forestry Department staff and five (5) VEEP officers–who will receive certified training; equipping them with lifesaving skills to respond to medical emergencies in isolated environments.

The training will be delivered over a 48-hour course, combining theory and practical sessions across a 2-3 month period.

Training topics include emergency assessment, wound care, CPR, treatment of fractures, burns, hypothermia, and managing environmental illnesses such as altitude sickness and anaphylaxis.

Speaking at the launch, Bertillon Hamilton, a certified instructor with decades of experience in wilderness first aid, CPR, AED, and emergency response highlighted the importance of this activity.

Remarks were also made by SVGRC President Mr. V Alston Anderson, Acting Director of the Forestry Division Casmus McLeod and VEEP Project Coordinator Roxanne John.

This initiative forms part of VEEP activities aimed at restoring areas severely impacted by the 2021 La Soufrière eruptions and Hurricane Elsa. These events caused widespread environmental damage, leaving field workers exposed to heightened risks as they engage in reforestation and soil conservation activities across rugged, remote terrain.