The Queensland Trucking Association (QTA)’s First on Scene pilot program has been completed, having trained heavy vehicle truck drivers in a range of emergency response skills.
Funded by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), the QTA developed First on Scene program was designed to equip drivers in the state with necessary emergency response training at crashes on Queensland’s rural and regional roads, as these drivers are often the first to arrive at these scenes, according to QTA Membership Service Manager, Lisa Fraser.
“At least 70 per cent of regional and remote truck drivers have been first-on-scene accident responders,” she said.
“Fifty per cent of those have had to help up to one hour prior to the arrival of emergency services.”
The program’s training ranges from equipping drivers with the steps to call Triple Zero, to ensuring drivers know how to administer basic first aid and CPR should the emergency call for it.
In addition to the program’s face-to-face training workshops which concluded last November, the QTA has rolled out other materials to keep drivers aware of and ready for emergency situations and the correct responses, according to Fraser.
“The QTA have now developed a toolbox resource, driver video and quiz to ensure that more drivers are able to access the training wherever they are,” she said.
“The QTA is also very keen to continue research into the experiences of truck drivers who have been first-on-scene. This research is being undertaken by Griffith University’s Dr Darren Wishart.”
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