Mock disaster puts Dyersburg State students to the test
DYERSBURG, Tenn. — Tornado sirens and practice 911 calls marked the start of a mock disaster drill at Dyersburg State Community College.
Nineteen emergency medical students took charge at the scene which recreated the scene of a tornado that hit Dyersburg in 2006.
“It’s a project we do every year with our paramedics students, and we do that in conjunction with their pre-hospital trauma life support class. So this is the actual skills portion of the class,” said Baker McCool, the EMS Program Director at DSCC.
The students worked alongside West Tennessee Healthcare, Air Evac, Newbern Fire Department, and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency to get all patients treated, put in an ambulance, or airlifted.
Officials treated the scene as if it were real, using real cars and tractors. Students and staff with makeup made the scene look as if they were really caught in a tornado.
“It was a lot more crazy than I thought it was going to be. There’s stuff everywhere going on. The people look actually hurt, the sick people look actually sick. I wasn’t really prepared for that level of emergency,” said EMS student Austin Black.
Faculty members say the students’ education from the classroom and the lab has prepared them, but the simulated exercise will put their skills to the test.
“We have set them up for failure at some points of this exercise because you don’t truly learn unless you fail along the way some. So they’ll have some good lessons today. There is no lesson like a bought lesson,” McCool said.
The students say the mock crash was an experience that gave them many valuable lessons.
“Communication is definitely key. Fast, triage, and treatment of patients, getting them stabilized, get their ABCs done,” Black said. “That’s really what we need to focus on, and hone in on moving forward.”
Dyersburg State hosts a mock drill each year, and students are put through a different scenario each time.
