EMS students prepare for the worst

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The Department of Emergency Medical Services Education at USA held a mass casualty drill for its EMS students. Some are graduating soon and will become first responders.

A building was transformed. It looked like a movie set with lights, fake blood and actors pretending to be injured. The goal was to prepare EMS students for a real life disaster.

In this case, he described the disaster to which they are responding. He started off by saying, "It's the Tuesday before Thanksgiving ..."

"Due to not having early warning sirens, the students were caught off guard along with their parents when the tornadoes hit this building head on," said Clinical Coordinator Scotty McArthur. "It causes massive damage, and there is an unknown amount of students spread out through this building."

Once the group was briefed on its roles, the director yelled, "Action!"

Then the EMS students were on their own, left to use the knowledge they have acquired over recent years. This activity isn't too far fetched. It's based on the April tornadoes that hit Tuscaloosa and other counties across the state.

"They teach us to pre-plan things, and this will help us tremendously with pre-planning any incident that we may have in the future, just seeing how to do a mass casualty like the tornadoes," said EMS student Chad Thornburg.

The students know the simulation was inspired by a real tragedy. They take it serisously, so if they are in this position again, they know how to react.