By Mustapha Jallow
The Gambia Ferry Service (GFS) has concluded a 3-day emergency response safety capacity building training for its 25 staff.
The training aims to equip them with basic skills to respond effectively to emergencies and save lives.
Speaking to reporters, Ebrima Sisawo, a senior nurse and emergency response trainer at the Bundung Maternal and Child Hospital described the safety training as very important for ferry service workers, saying it helps them prevent accidents and injuries.
He said the training helped to create a better safety culture and safety behaviors among employees and passengers.
Seedy Choi, senior safety officer at the Gambia ferry service said the training seeks to boost their capacity to ensure workers and passengers are safe at all levels when crossing from Banjul to Barra.
“It would help the employees to understand safety procedures and how to respond to dangerous situations,’’ he says.
Sheriffo Nyassi, the human resources manager at GFS called on participants to make the best use of the knowledge they gained from the training— for the well-being of the country.
Meanwhile, the ferry service had faced widespread criticisms over repeated disruption of services caused by the breakdown of ferries. In addition, the passengers also sometimes get stuck in the water while onboard the ferry, which takes some hours. Recently, the Kanilai Ferry was caught up in a similar situation resulting in the army and others coming to the passengers’ rescue.
