Metro Technology Centers sends this information as posted below:
OKLAHOMA CITY – Metro Tech coordinated its annual Mass Casualty Exercise on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. on the Springlake Campus in partnership with various community agencies, including first responder units, military personnel, and law enforcement.
The exercise replicated an active shooter scenario. Approximately 80 subjects, played by various volunteers, acted as deceased or injured victims around the exercise area with realistic wounds and moulage. The scenario began with three armed assailants firing at several individuals in the parking lot of the Economic Development Center, 1700 Springlake Dr., before moving inside the building to continue their attack.
Partnering agencies included the Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD), Oklahoma City Fire Department (OCFD), Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA), Medical Emergency Response Center (MERC), Regional Medical Response System (RMRS), Army National Guard and the U.S. Airforce.
The exercise aimed to provide mass casualty scenario training for students of Metro Tech’s Public Safety Academy (PSA) and Healthcare programs alongside local first responder agencies, allowing all parties to improve their knowledge, skills, and competencies.
Metro Tech Health Careers Center Lab Simulation and Skills Coordinator Josie Scott has coordinated the event since 2008 and said it is an excellent training opportunity for students and partnering first responder units.
“First responders and healthcare workers have to be prepared for these events when they occur,” Scott said. “We offer this training to our students in collaboration with local first responders to enhance our understanding of how we all work together to protect and serve our community.”
According to the scenario, an exchange of gunfire between the assailants and security officers left both parties injured. Incorporating this within the scenario allowed students to learn the correct procedures to follow when dealing with injured assailants.
“This exercise gives our students a safe environment to work with experienced professionals and learn what skills are needed for a similar scenario once they enter the field,” OCPD Master Sergeant Lance Whitney, Law Enforcement Cadet Program Coordinator, said.
Public Safety Academy students assisted and shadowed at the casualty site with members of the Oklahoma City Police and Fire Departments.
The Metro Tech Health Careers Center, 1720 Springlake Dr., operated the hospital and emergency room. EMSA units transported the wounded from the scene to the emergency room operated by students of the Practical Nursing program.
Pre-nursing students transported patients from the ER to X-ray, and Radiologic Technology program students conducted stationary and mobile exams. Patients could also be “transferred” to the operating room, where Surgical Technology students practiced their skills on various deceased specimens.
Medical Office students assisted in the admissions process of patients and acted as administrative assistants in the ER. Medical Assisting students also saw patients within their walk-in clinic at the hospital.
Military agencies, including the Oklahoma Army National Guard and U.S. Airforce, provided experienced medical triage personnel to work alongside healthcare students within the hospital. In addition, The Oklahoma National Guard landed a Blackhawk helicopter in the field west of the site.
The exercise also acted as a practice scenario for Metro Tech’s Emergency Operations Team members to practice and improve communications, mitigation, and preparedness.
Upon the event’s completion, participants attended a debriefing in the District Center, where the Oklahoma Trauma Recovery Network delivered a debrief of the event and discussed the impact a mass casualty event can have on the mental health of all involved.
Metro Tech Superintendent Aaron Collins said this event’s planning, preparation, and completion was a vital experience for the district’s students, officials, and local agencies.
“This event is a collaborative effort that allows our students and local first responders to engage in real-world training,” Collins said. “As scenarios like this become more prevalent in our society, we want to ensure our students are equipped with competence and confidence, ensuring they are thoroughly prepared upon graduating from Metro Tech.”
About Metro Technology Centers
As one of the largest and most diverse technology centers in Oklahoma, Metro Tech has four campuses that offer full-time, short-term, career and customized business training. Campuses are located at the Will Rogers World Airport and in South, Northeast and Downtown Oklahoma City.
Metro Tech is part of the Oklahoma CareerTech system, which offers programs and services in 29 technology center districts and operates on 59 campuses across the state. CareerTech plays a vital role in developing a world-class workforce for Oklahoma employers and prepares Oklahomans to succeed in the workplace, in education and in life.
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