NEOMED students were recently immersed in the world of mass casualty disaster response during "Disaster Day" organized by the Emergency Medical Interest Group (EMIG) and facilitated by the Summa Simulation Lab team, Mark Adams of the Canton Public Health Department, and the NEOMED Police Department.
Students started the morning with a crash course covering disaster response equipment, logistics and triage technique, then dove into hands-on first aid/patient immobilization and simulated triage workshops. After a working lunch with the NEOMED Police Department, students tested their new skills in two, full-scale scenarios.
During the scenarios Summa staff converted Great Hall into two impressive simulation environments for students -- one a first person shooter scenario, the second a structural collapse scenario. The simulations included a working ambulance, volunteers trained and moulaged to simulate patients, fog machines and sound effects. Students were responsible for organizing their "teams" and doling out treatment/triage to the wounded.
A huge thank you from EMIG to all who participated and donated their time to provide this interactive experience.