(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A high school in Widefield became the site of a disaster simulation on Wednesday May 7, with the goal of helping teachers, students, and first responders prepare for a day they hope will never come.
After rigorous training, and Wednesday’s simulation, students from Discovery High School are now certified in CPR, First Aid, Stop the Bleed and more. Teachers covered themselves in special effects makeup to make the experience more realistic. The simulation covered what to do in a potential train wreck, because of how close the school is to train tracks.
“We learned about the bleed, opioids, and like about law enforcement, about fire, just about the different first responders and the different types of disasters that we have,” said Semaj Doucette, a student at Discovery High School.
The students responded to the emergency train wreck by helping victims in the crash using only debris as their medical supplies.
“It crashed into homes, and it went everywhere, so we have to be the incident commander to respond to the incident,” said Barbara Rivera, another student at Discovery High School.
Some of the students who were chosen as leaders during the simulation were wearing traffic vests, including both Rivera and Doucette, who say the training is helping them ahead of a possible career in the U.S. Army.
“We were kind of chosen to be the team leader, to kind of guide and be like the people to lead the others,” said Rivera.
Teachers covered themselves in fake blood to make their injuries look as real as possible. Some of the ‘victims’ had simulated lost limbs, head wounds, and even exposure to an exposed electrical cord.
“God forbid if anything does happen at the school or in their homes, they will be able to address it with a clear mind and be able to help in any situation,” said Kimberly Myers, the teacher behind it all.
Ultimately the simulation was all about education and being prepared for the worst.
“I do remember walking in our Social Studies classroom, and they were doing research on Hurricane Katrina and other natural disaster events that would displace victims and how that was handled,” said Albert Wiggins, the Principal of Discovery High School.
The El Paso County Community Emergency Response Team trained with the students for six hours each week to support the program, but many of the students got more than just a certificate–they got confidence.
“It just gives me more confidence knowing that I know what to do to help them and how to help them before the first responders get there,” said Doucette.
Wiggins said that if you stay ready, you never have to get ready.
On May 21, the certified students will get to train community members on the skills they learned from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at Discovery High School.
About The Author
