In an effort to help more people feel prepared and in control if another natural disaster occurs, Montrose-based community groups were provided with first aid training on Thursday 24 October.
Members of the Montrose and District Men’s Shed and from Montrose Community Cupboard attended the training session led by Ranges Training Solutions’ Sarah Kinder.
Men’s Shed secretary Dennis Kay said the initiative was funded by Yarra Ranges Council’s community recovery team, who in turn had received funding through Emergency Recovery Victoria in the aftermath of the June 2021 storms.
With a small underspend from the ERV funding, the council’s recovery team reached out to the community to understand the best ways to utilise and support people in their recovery process.
What returned were answers of training, including chainsaw courses, first aid, mental health first aid and psychological first aid.
Eleven sessions of chainsaw training were conducted, helping around 110 people feel more comfortable using the equipment.
Dennis said the council initiative promoted the bonding of the community and provided practical support to the Men’s Shed’s aim to improve the health and well being of its members.
“It is good to know that if there is an accident in the shed, there are members who know how to stop the bleeding,” he said.
“If CPR is required there are community members who now know how to administer this and use an AED.”
Even just knowing the location of AEDs, including at the Montrose Library, inside IGA and at the Men’s Shed itself, was a helpful tool.
The consensus from the day was that this training, combined with the other courses that have been undertaken, would ensure people feel more comfortable and capable to help themselves, their neighbours and their communities in another event.
