SC EMS Students to Practice Skills at Mock Car Crash

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., April 12, 2005 -- In a mock two-car crash involving passengers with simulated injuries ranging from minor scratches to a fatality, students of the Springfield College Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Club will put their emergency training to work this Thursday, April 14, 2005, at noon on Alden Street in front of the College’s Library.

Mock victims will include a student playing the part of a passenger killed in the crash, another student simulating a cardiac arrest in the aftermath of the accident, and a student who will be freed from a crashed car through the fire department’s extrication tools including Jaws of Life, cutters, and other tools. A student playing the part of a drunken at-fault driver will walk away uninjured, while another student will simulate minor injuries. Realistic make up will simulate injuries. Bach Towing will supply two heavily damaged cars for the exercise.

About 15 students will tend to the mock victims and coordinate help from the Springfield Fire Department, American Medical Response, Springfield Police Department, and Bach Towing. The Springfield College Police Department will reroute traffic on Alden Street between Middlesex Street and Wilbraham Avenue during the exercise.

According to Administrative Captain of the Springfield College EMS Club Matt Peczka, who also is project coordinator for the simulation, “This exercise will give EMS Club responders first-hand experience in providing and coordinating the full range of help that a catastrophe of this scope demands. Our team will stabilize victims and get them ready for transportation, take histories and treat minor injuries, and coordinate with other emergency services.

“The exercise also will have some shock value in emphasizing the importance of safe driving,” Peczka added. The event is scheduled for mid-day when student foot traffic is heavy around the college’s Administration Green.

Springfield College students who major in emergency medical services management prepare for the bachelor of science degree and certification as EMT paramedics. The college also offers certification-level courses in emergency medical services, all of which exceed the national training standards of the United States Department of Transportation.

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