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Working amid darkness, smoke and sounding and flashing alarms, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics put their skills to the test as they quickly assessed and treated three victims of a simulated school shooting last Friday at BWH's STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation. The simulation concluded the center's first day-long seminar on Special Operations and Tactical EMS.
"Our goal was to give EMS providers an overview of critical medical aspects of special operations and tactical emergency medical services," said Charles Pozner, MD, medical director of STRATUS, who taught the course with BWH's Amado Alejandro Báez, MD, MPH, EMT-P, associate director for Emergency Medical Services, and David Callaway, MD, Emergency Medicine resident at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and member of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.
About 25 EMTs and paramedics from Boston EMS, Fallon Ambulance, Yarmouth Fire Department and New Bedford EMS participated in the course. They practiced innovative airway management techniques and strategies for managing shock and resuscitation. The course also included case reviews of recent regional events, an overview of principles of medical intelligence and the introduction of new guidelines in trauma combat casualty care.
Employing this new knowledge, participants practiced responding to a high-stress, delicate situation in the simulated school shooting scenario. STRATUS Program Manager Stephen Nelson, CCEMT-P, IT Director Steve Poole and Administrative Assistant Andrew Camerato staged the scene with meticulous attention to every last detail—including fake blood, a smoke machine, blaring police radio traffic and placement of three mannequins—that made it realistic. After participating in the simulated event, each group reviewed their response with Báez to ascertain what went well and what could have been done better.
"These dedicated professionals provide good medicine in bad places," Báez said, adding that STRATUS is in the process of planning a focused program and courses to support regional law enforcement special operations teams. "They work in high risk situations and austere environments, and this is why we designed a specialized program to meet their educational needs."