EMS Spring Training Emphasizes Real-Life Simulations
For the 2019 annual spring training, Essex-Windsor EMS is placing an emphasis on real-life scenarios complete with mannequins, debris in cramped spaces and blaring car horns.
“We try to make it as real as possible so that when they do go to the scene, they’re able to relate, they’re able to fall back on their training,” says Essex-Windsor EMS Deputy Chief Justin Lammers. “Simulations are very important.”
Three front-line paramedics have been working to train their peers in simulations and table-top exercises, making use of large maps and LEGO pieces. Paramedic Angela Volpatti worked with pairs of paramedics undergoing a simulation of a multi-vehicle collision.
With special gear including helmets outfitted with flashlights, the paramedics entered a darkened trailer echoing with the incessant blaring of car horns. They had to climb over and around debris to assess and treat nine mannequin victims with various injuries. Volpatti offered guidance and support as they went through the triage procedure and then debriefed the participants following the scenario.
“It was a dark space, a loud space, it was confined and crumpled. It was working all of your senses and you still did what you had to do,” says Volpatti. “Our wish is we never have to go through a mass casualty incident like this, but it’s better to be prepared for the possibility.”
Another scenario involved paramedics working in tandem with police officers, who cleared the scene and made sure it was safe before paramedics could get to the patient. Traditionally, paramedics would remain in a faraway staging area, but recently, the two agencies have been working together to try to get paramedics to the victim as soon and safely as possible.
“We know through research and by reviewing worldwide trends from incidents that we need to be closer, we need to stop the bleeding,” says Lammers. “We’re trying to save as many lives as we can in a short amount of time.”
A crucial component of the training is communications, said Lammers, because after-action reports of mass casualty incidents often point to communication difficulties between various agencies involved.
“We’re improving our communications, we’re involving our ambulance communications officer, we’re involving the dispatch for police, we’re making sure that everybody is on the same page,” says Lammers. “When the call for help comes in we know the process that we’re supposed to go through.”
Paramedics talked with each other and with phantom dispatchers during the drills and were also instructed to put tape on their uniforms so they could make notes amidst the chaos.
“The more real we can make these scenarios, the better,” says Lammers. “We can set that muscle memory, we can make sure that they’re prepared for an unfortunate event if it does happen.”
