On Sunday, October 26, starting at 9:30 a.m., DeSales University will host a mock emergency event—the aftermath of exposure to a hazardous chemical.
The simulation will help develop the skills of the students who are in the University’s nursing and physician assistant programs as well as DeSales’ student-run emergency medical service (EMS).
 A "casualty" from the 2013 drill is being triaged. |
"The goal of the drill is to provide all participants the opportunity to utilize and enhance the skills acquired in the classroom and apply these skills in a real world setting," said Dennis Rasley, director of emergency services, “They are then better prepared for their post-graduate careers.”
The simulation, set in and outside of the Hurd Science Center at the University’s Center Valley Campus, will focus on the triage and treatment of multiple victims of a mock exposure to hydrogen sulfide.
In addition, treatment in this simulation will involve a working decontamination unit. Three mock victims will go through the decontamination process.
Working with the University, Lehigh Valley Health Network will set up a mobile field hospital in the Chappuis Hall parking lot. Students will learn how to treat patients in a field hospital setting, extending their skills beyond what they learn in a traditional classroom.
Members of the DeSales community will act as victims. They will be triaged and treated according to their assigned injuries, which will be created through the use of theatrical make-up.
In addition to the DeSales EMS team, local EMS organizations that are also participating include the Upper Saucon Township Ambulance Corps; Macungie, Ambulance Corps, Emmaus Ambulance Corps, and the St. Luke’s University Health Network Emergency Transport Service.
At the completion of the drill, a debriefing discussion will be held to review the strengths and weaknesses of the event, which will assist in planning for future drills.