Firefighters Receive Advanced Emergency Care Training

Montserrat’s firefighters are undergoing advanced emergency medical training aimed at strengthening the island’s frontline response capacity.

Governor Harriet Cross visited the Royal Montserrat Police Service this week to meet fire officers currently participating in the First Responder in Emergency Care Level 3 course.

The intensive programme is being delivered by paramedics from the West Midlands Ambulance Service and is designed to equip members of the Montserrat Fire and Rescue Service with enhanced life-saving skills. Two back-to-back courses are being conducted, with approximately 20 firefighters in each cohort.

The training is led by Tim Atherton, Tactical Incident Commander and Senior Paramedic, and Aidan Brown, Critical Care Advanced Paramedic, with additional input from Professor Ian Cumming, UK Ambassador for Healthcare to the Overseas Territories.

The highly practical course allows firefighters to immediately apply what they learn in real-world scenarios. It covers a wide range of critical response areas including first responder roles and responsibilities, incident and scene management, patient assessment, airway and breathing management, basic life support and AED use, catastrophic bleeding control and trauma care.

Participants are also trained to respond to medical emergencies such as anaphylaxis, asthma attacks, seizures, cardiac events, diabetic emergencies and poisoning, along with patient history taking and effective casualty handover.

Governor Cross congratulated the firefighters during her visit and expressed confidence in the standard of training being delivered and the professionalism demonstrated during emergency scenario exercises.

The initiative represents a significant step in building local emergency response capability and ensuring that firefighters are equipped to provide advanced pre-hospital care when minutes matter most.