Disaster simulation trains EMTs

By Liz O'Brien

Bodies covered in faux blood littered the floor, bleachers and offices of the Leavey Center on Sunday around 1 p.m. as Santa Clara Emergency Medical Service team members rushed in and out with stretchers, neck braces and wheelchairs to reenact a simulated mass disaster situation.

The blur of activity marked Santa Clara EMS's first Mass Casualty Incident, during which about 50 volunteers played the parts of earthquake victims trapped in Leavey. The MCI was staged to give student emergency medical technicians practice in a crisis situation, according to Jordan Ruiz, director of university EMS.

"From the beginning of this past year, Fr. Locatelli has kind of been promoting that if there's a disaster, would we be prepared to help the community. So I thought that we should actually have a plan," said Ruiz.

Sunday's MCI took about a year of planning, said Ruiz. Volunteer victims included students, family members of emergency medical technicians, community members and two EMTs from Stanford University's EMS program. Volunteers were made up with fake blood and received a card with their vitals and instructions about what questions they could and could not answer, depending on the severity of their injuries.

American Medical Response, the emergency medical service that responds to 911 calls, was present to assist and critique SCU EMS. Campus Safety was also present.

"It seems pretty well coordinated," said Mark Tan, an AMR paramedic.

Tan said that he had never participated in a staged event like the MCI, and that as far as he knew, AMR had never had to respond to a real emergency of this measure. EMS began the drill at noon, first sending in primary triage to classify and tag all bodies according to their injuries and severity. Volunteers were then moved to the Leavey parking lot, where they were treated at one of three stations.

"The triage was really good -- they classified us correctly," said Lauren Mamer, a sophomore EMT from Stanford. The purpose of the MCI was to give EMTs practice in a crisis situation and increase awareness of SCU EMS's capability.

"It was to show the community that we are prepared, that this is what we can do. And also hopefully to get some funding for an MCI trailer, which we've been trying to get all year," said Ruiz.

An MCI trailer provides supplies for over 500 people in a mass casualty situation, and Ruiz said that he has been working to obtain one for SCU EMS all year.

"As of right now, our gear would not currently be enough. We had to order more gear for the 50-patient MCI," said Ruiz. "We want to show the administration -- hey, we're prepared, we can do this."

Florian Schmitzberger, a Stanford EMT, participated as a victim with a sprained arm. Through their contacts with SCU EMS, Schmitzberger and Mamer were able to volunteer at the MCI and both said that they will recommend this type of drill to the Stanford EMS.

"The EMTs took it very seriously -- they're doing a very good job," Schmitzberger said. "We will most definitely recommend this type of program to our EMS."

Contact Liz O'Brien at (408) 554-4546 or eobrien@scu.edu.