Over 200 Piedmont University Students participated in a mass casualty simulation Wednesday alongside several Habersham and Stephens County emergency response personnel on the school’s campus in Demorest.
During the drill, units from Demorest Fire Department, Habersham County Emergency Services, and local law enforcement personnel were “dispatched” to the Sewell building just off Demorest Lake Road. Additionally, units from Habersham County Emergency Management Agency / 9-1-1, Stephens County Emergency Medical Services, Stephens County Emergency Management Agency, the Habersham County Public Information Office, the Habersham County Coroner’s Office responded to the simulated incident, alongside the Piedmont University Police Department, Demorest Police Department, and the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team.
The scenario included 10 “critically injured” individuals, five of whom were simulated to be flown from the scene and five others ground transported with a total of six people, including the perpetrator, being simulated to be dead at the scene. Additionally, the exercise simulated 30 walking wounded victims.
Students in several areas of study were able to apply their knowledge learned in classes to appropriately respond to the situation based on their respective roles.
Senior Nursing Students participating in the exercise had an opportunity to practice loading a mannequin into the waiting Air Life Georgia 2 medical helicopter on the university’s quad, while others helped load victims into waiting Habersham County and Stephens County ambulances and university vans.
Junior nursing students served as victims in the mock incident, theater students created makeup and effects to add to the accuracy of the event, mass communication students documented the incident and conducted interviews with officials, forensics students conducted crime scene investigations, criminal justice students assessed the scene, psychology students provided mental health support and education students practiced lockdown drills in hypothetical classrooms.
District 2 Public Health provided evaluators and public information assistance, while both Northeast Georgia Health System and Stephens County Hospital had representatives on scene for the exercise.
Northeast Georgia Medical Center Habersham in Demorest accepted 10 “patients” from the exercise, while Stephens County Hospital practiced its emergency capabilities and received 15 “victims”.
