Butte College
News Announcement

Butte College Hosts Multi-Casualty Incident Simulation

Butte College hosted a joint multi-casualty simulation, a vital training event for its Fire Academy cadets, paramedic, nursing and EMT students. This educational exercise aims to prepare future first responders for real-life emergencies where the number of patients far exceeds the available medical personnel.

Date: Thursday, November 16, 2023
Location: Public Safety Training Grounds, 3536 Butte Campus Drive, Oroville

The schedule for the day is as follows:

• 7:00 a.m.: Event preparations begin with participants getting into makeup and ready for the day.

• 9:00 a.m.: The first event, a vehicle versus bus collision, officially commences. This event typically concludes within 40 minutes.

• Lunch Break (approximately 11:00 a.m.): Enloe flightcare demonstration, subject to availability.

• 1:00 p.m.: The second event, a multi-level apartment complex fire, begins and lasts approximately 40 minutes.

• 3:00 - 4:00 p.m.: The event concludes with debriefing and cleanup.

This comprehensive simulation event provides invaluable experience for students in the handling of large-scale emergencies. The Fire Academy cadets' responsibility is to rescue and accurately triage patients quickly. Following triage, paramedic students provide immediate treatment and transport patients to on-site "hospitals" where nursing students further stabilize their injuries. EMT Students play the role of "victims" who act out various scenarios during the event, ranging from concerned parents to critically injured patients.

The MCI simulation creates a realistic environment with the help of a dedicated team of moulage artists who visually simulate injuries. It is an immersive experience designed to prepare future first responders for the chaos and unpredictability of real-life multi-casualty incidents.

"True multi-casualty incidents are inherently chaotic, and our simulated event is no different. The primary goal is to provide a learning experience for all participants, enabling them to better handle real emergencies," said Cris Frazer, EMT, M.Ed., a veteran EMT with over 20 years of experience and Butte College EMS instructor.

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