Project ALFA-Manaus: the rescuer role in emergency and amazon community

Resumo

Introduction: The ALFA-Manaus project is an extension project of the College of Medicine of the Federal University of Amazonas, which was founded in 1997. The academics of the course interested in first aid and accident prevention activities can make training courses when become a member and take their knowledge to society.

Objective: The project goal is to promote mini-courses open to the public that instruct about the causes of trauma and death more frequent, as well as train the members of the project to go to schools and other settings spread their learning.

Methodology or experience description: Students gather weekly to discuss deeper issues and updates, and organize themselves to give them ten annual lectures to the community, which are mandatory. Usually the theme is chosen by the school or company that receive the project, according to the needs of the moment. The content covered for the non-academic population is taught more superficially, prioritizing the essential and basic first aid procedures in an accident. For that, Alfa has equipment like dolls for resuscitation, stretchers, portable defibrillators that can be used for a practical learning. Is also greatly emphasized the ways to prevent accidents and the importance of awareness.

Results: The courses offered by the project has reached students from different courses and professions, even groups of firefighters from Manaus-AM. This shows the interest of the population on get prepared for act and prevent of the dangers that surround them, often unobserved and underestimated. Much has been discussed about the benefits that the rural population, predominantly in the interior of Amazon would have with these instructions. Many paradigms and popular beliefs must be added to the basic knowledge of rescue. Mainly specified for airway obstruction and drowning, recurrent factor in riverine populations that are devoid of quick access to emergency services.

Conclusions or Hypothesis: Over the years the Alpha-Manaus see the ability and need to expand its operations to rural areas of the Amazon. The conclusion is that with good popular support, the number of accidents and deaths everyday can decrease with simple measures and information disseminated. Thus the project fulfills part of their social obligation on the community.