Paramedic students at Fleming College in Peterborough were at Bailey Auto Wreckers in Port Hope training with firefighters on Wednesday, April 3, 2019.
Eighteen students who are in their second year of the paramedic program were working hand-in-hand with firefighters on extrication scenarios.
Bob Cranley is an instructor at Fleming College in the paramedic program and is also the Chief Training Officer with the Port Hope Fire Department who helped coordinate the event.
“It gives them first hand experience you can’t get in a classroom.”
Students not only played the part of paramedics, but also the patients inside the vehicles.
“We are running them through real time, real scenarios and real vehicles with real tools in as safe a manner as possible,” said Cranley.
“It will prepare them for the real world and what they will likely be dealing with as paramedics.”
Each year members of the fire department hold the exercise with paramedic students to help prepare them for what they will encounter.
During some of the demonstrations, a number of airbags were deployed to give the students an idea of the dangers.
“It gives them a true appreciation of the roles of the fire department and how they’re going to remove the car from a victim.”
“It also works the same for firefighters as it lets them know the priorities and the processes and what it is paramedics want to do and how both services can work together.”
Every student involved in the scenarios fulfilled the roles of observer, paramedic and patient.
“As a patient it gives them an appreciation how uncomfortable it can be, the sounds that a person who is actually trapped may feel and how to deal with the stress.”
Paramedic student Shai Minaker (age 23) is in her second year of the paramedic course and was looking forward to today’s exercise.
“Having the communication with the fire department and knowing how to communicate with other medics helps to know the best way to give patients definitive care.”
Minaker said the firefighters were very thorough in what they were teaching them about car batteries, air bags and other areas of concern around vehicles.
“Until you see it in real life and experience the smell, the feeling of being in there, and the patients that are panicking, you don’t really get the full vision of what’s going on by reading in a text book.”
“Today’s training will make us all better medics.”
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
