Triple R’s Mission to Provide Medical Services to San Pedranos, Tourists
There has been a growing need for medical services and facilities in San Pedro which is the number one tourist destination in the country. Often, persons who require emergency treatment must be transported from the island to Belize City. This week, one company stepped to the plate to assist to fill the void. Rickilee Response and Rescue team offered training sessions to a group of volunteers in land and water rescue operations. Here is News Five’s Hipolito Novelo with a report.
Hipolito Novelo reporting
Located a few miles off the coast of Belize, Ambergris Caye measures some twenty-five miles long and a mile wide. It’s country’s largest island and the population is growing at a fast pace. In the past years, the island has been attracting a growing number of tourists and locals. The demand for certain services and necessities is also on the rise. Authorities on the island responsible to respond to medical emergencies are faced with many challenges, including limited resources. In order to change that, the Rickilee Response and Rescue Team (Triple R) facilitated a four-day training session for volunteers on the island. Supervisor Philip Leslie says Triple R is broken down into two sections.
Philip Leslie
Philip Leslie, Supervisor, Triple R
“Triple R is an entity that is coming to empower our people with equipment and training. The Triple R has two portions. Triple R water rescue where we have volunteers that are already on the field and those are tour operators and we empower them with equipment and training if they need. The second portion of Triple R deals with land and water evacuation. Yes, the operators can save somebody and bring them all the way to the edge to the beach, how do we transport them to a proper health center? What if that health center does not have the facility here? How do we transport them to a better medical center?”
The training saw the participation of representatives from the Belize Police Department, rangers who patrol the Hol Chan Marine Reserve and tour guides.
Philip Leslie
“Our team is very small but we depend on volunteerism so that is why we are trying them they know how to respond. We found out for the past two years that we have been going around that was a lacking portion on the island. How do we treat someone ten miles up north and ends up feeling like they are having a heart attack? How do we treat it? Well, then we have people who are medically trained and bring them to a medical facility.”
Triple R’s success is due to many of its volunteers. Leslie says that the success of the young organization can be measured by the number of people it has assisted.
Philip Leslie
“We are seeing the success of it. We are answering calls from people falling off golf carts. We are answering people that are getting dehydrated especially up north that is hot and not much wind. We are answering so many calls with Triple R. That is what the success is.”
Hipolito Novelo, News Five.
