Ifako Comprehensive Senior High School Gbagada has emerged the best in uniformed voluntary organisations and clubs in Lagos State.
The award was presented to the management of ICSHS during the commemoration of the eight year anniversary of the re-introduction of uniformed voluntary organisations and clubs into public primary and secondary schools in the state. Gbemi Olaniyi, tutor general/permanent secretary Education District II and Faosiyat Akindele, the coordinator, Red Cross Society at ICSHS received the award on behalf of the school.
The school emerged the best at the senior cadre following its consistency in advancing extra-curricular activities particularly through the organisation of annual safety day, enrolment of new members into Red Cross, among others. Interestingly, the recognition came shortly after the Red Cross at ICSHS Gbagada organised her 4th edition of the annual safety day which was supported by Fidson Healthcare Plc.
During the annual safety day programme, James Akinto, principal of ICSHS commended the team from the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) and other dignitaries that attended the programme saying that education is not all about the cognitive domain but also about affective and psychomotor domains. He therefore encouraged the students and members of staff to make the most of the annual programme.
In order to complement the issues addressed in the past safety day programmes, this year’s theme centred on emergency preparedness. Femi Giwa, guest speaker, head of operations and logistics at LASEMA held the audience spellbound with his captivating lecture on emergency preparedness. He identified three factors that could warrant an emergency situation which included hazard, risk and vulnerability. Hazard is a harmful, dangerous or any activity around us that is capable of causing injury which could lead to emergency or disasters. This could be open electrical sockets, flooding, and object at height.
Similarly, risk is associated or potential loss that is suffered as a result of hazard just as vulnerability is related to the extent of closeness of an individual to a hazard. The interaction of these three factors leads to an emergency. As such, an emergency is a sudden disruption or alteration of an activity in an environment that affects the normal functioning of the society leading to the widespread of injury, human, material, economic, social and environmental losses.
Therefore, arising from the above is that emergency preparedness is the series of activities an individual, a school , society, community or an organization embarks on to acquire knowledge or skills and resources in order to anticipate emergency and respond using the resources available to manage the situation to avoid the spread of emergency.
This implies that an effective emergency preparedness will analyse hazard and assess the risks associated with the hazard. Additionally, he recommended the use of basic life supports including first aid, to save the life of casualties.
Buttressing Giwa’s observations, Adebayo Kehinde, PRO, Operations and Logistics at LASEMA, highlighted the mode of operations of LASEMA to emergency situation in that in most cases, the victims are not aware of the free emergency toll lines which are 112 and 767, emphasising that once any of these lines is called, their response to any emergency situation is instantaneous.
The coordinator Red Cross Unit, ICSHS Gbagada, appreciated speakers and the audience, and advised other corporate bodies in the state to support public schools in the areas of extra -curricular activities as this is the only way students can have a complete education.
STEPHEN ONYEKWELU
