CREDIT: AGATA LESNIK, CORPORATE PHOTOGRAPHER, FANSHAWE COLLEGE
Students will gain realistic field experience through Fanshawe's Trauma and Treatment weekend.

Trauma and Treatment weekend will be back at Fanshawe on Friday, Oct. 19 and Saturday, Oct. 20. Last year, this event was held in April.

The event, which features a mock emergency, is designed to give students across multiple programs a realistic learning experience.

These programs involved include emergency telecommunications, fire inspection and fire safety education, paramedic studies, advanced care paramedic studies, police foundations, advanced police studies, theatre arts, nursing and advanced filmmaking.

“It’s a little more realistic than what we do [in the classroom]. We try simulate as close to possible, but we have our limitations,” paramedic program faculty member, Chris Slabon, who is overseeing the event, said.

Slabon said that the student actors from the theatre arts program are a large help as paramedic students usually practice on realistic mannequins used specifically for training paramedic students. He also states that the make-up effects to create fake wounds and blood on the student actors are incredibly realistic, helping legitimize the mock scenario.

The event has been planned since the beginning of September. Once all programs and faculty members are on board, the scenarios have to be written and developed, and the event has to be planned down to every little detail.

“[Faculty members and staff] have met once a week since the beginning [of the school year] to continue planning this event,” Slabon said.

The event is planned out so that students in all programs involved get a chance for a realistic learning experience. Those in emergency telecommunications receive the simulated 911 calls and then dispatch the information to the paramedic and advanced care paramedic studies students and the advanced police studies students.

When these students arrive on scene, they will meet the theatre arts students who are portraying victims in the mock emergency.

The actors portraying the victims will then be brought to the simulated hospital, in the High-Fidelity Simulation Lab, where they will be greeted by nursing students who will provide triage.

Advanced filmmaking students will film the events, as well as interview bystanders and emergency personnel.

Police foundations and advanced police studies students will provide crowd and traffic control, and interview witnesses and potential suspects.

Regional volunteer paramedics will work with London police officers, fire fighters, and Fanshawe faculty to supervise the event, as well as critique and give feedback to the students involved.

Those wishing to participate in the event can reserve a spot through Eventbrite, or contact Fanshawe’s Corporate Communications department.