Sandals Water Operations Tour
BDF Hyperbaric Chamber
BDF Media Release | 04 SEPT 18
Photography credit: Lt S Gollop
The Barbados Defence Force’s Florence Gittens Medical Facility facilitated a tour of its Hyperbaric Chamber for the Water Operations Crew of Sandals Barbados.
The tour, led by Professor Dr Timothy Roach, Major David Binks and Color Sergeant Susan Binks, was organized on the behalf of Mr Elijah Jean-Baptiste – Assistant Water Sports/Aqua Centre Manager, Sandals Barbados. Mr Jean-Baptiste highlighted that as a part of the local resort’s health and safety policy, it is important to investigate treatment options for visitors and staff who may require specialised medical treatment.
In a hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the air pressure is increased to three times higher than normal air pressure. Under these conditions, a patient’s lungs can gather more oxygen than would be possible breathing pure oxygen at normal air pressure. This helps fight bacteria and stimulates the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells which promote healing. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is used to treat several medical conditions including arterial gas embolism, burns, decompression sickness, Carbon Monoxide poisoning, crushing injuries, Gangrene, infection of skin or bone that causes tissue death and non-healing wounds, such as a diabetic foot ulcers.
Major David Binks explaining the functions of the Hyperbaric Chamber to the Sandals (Barbados) Water Operations crew.
Commodore (Cdre) Errington Shurland enlisted in the Barbados Defence Force in February 1984.
Colonel Glyne Grannum joined the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) on 18 October 1985 and underwent career development training at the Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School, Chilliwack and the Combat Training Centre, Gagetown New Brunswick, Canada. He subsequently attended the Infantry Training Centre and the Signal Wing in Warminster, UK (PCBC and RSO Courses respectively), the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy; the Lester Pearson Canadian Peacekeeping Centre, the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, Kingston, the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, Toronto, the National Defence University of the People’s Liberation Army People’s Republic of China and the Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies, National Defence University, Washington. He also attended a Defence Resources Management programme at National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Canada. In addition to being a qualified infantry officer, Col Grannum is a qualified Regimental Signals Officer and a former Operations Officer and Finance Officer of the BDF.
Colonel Banfield joined the Barbados Battalion of the South Caribbean Force in 1941 having just left the Cadet Corps at Combermere School, and was granted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1942. He was a Platoon Commander and a Company Commander during the war and served in Barbados, Dominica (as part of the Gale Force), St Lucia and St Vincent.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Colin Marshall is a graduate of the St Michael, and was born on the 5 November 1969 and enlisted in the Barbados Defence Force on 16 August 1994. He was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in August 1997, Corporal in 1999, Sergeant in 2007, Color Sergeant in 2014, Warrant Officer Class Two in 2017 and Warrant Officer Class One in 2020. He was Most Outstanding Student on Junior Leadership Course in 1998, the Most Outstanding Student on Junior Non Commissioned Officer Cadre in Jamaica in 2000, best at Leadership on the Search Adviser Course in Jamaica in 2007 and the Most Outstanding Student on the Warrant Officer Course in Jamaica in 2015.
