Last week, CALS had the privilege to partner with and participate in two Mock Crashes with local first responders; Huntingtown High School (8 Apr) and Calvert High School (10 Apr). Each year, the Chesapeake Region Safety Council works with local high schools across Maryland to bring awareness to students about driving impaired, and the potential life changing outcomes. The program is broken into two parts. The first being a live reenactment. The second being a didactic portion that breaks down the crash, explains the kinematics of the crash, the potential life altering changes (i.e. physical, legal, etc.), and ends with a speaker who has experienced this first hand. Moreover, the program seeks to help students understand that there are decisions they make that will affect not only them for the rest of their lives, but those decisions often impact their family and community in many ways. This year, CALS teamed up with Huntingtown VFD, Prince Fredrick VFD, Prince Fredrick VRS, Calvert County Sherriff’s Department, Maryland State Police, and, new this year, with Mobile Crisis Team (MCT) which recently rolled out their Bystander Intervention Program.
At Huntingtown High School, the mock crash was moved indoors due to weather. Asst. Chief McKeever explains what the initial scene would have looked like, the initial triage decisions, and EMS' ultimate role in treatment and transport.
CALS and Prince Fredrick VRS assessing and treating the driver of the black car, while Prince Fredrick VFD works to stabilize, and extricate the two patients in the red Jeep.
EMS and Fire prepare to extract the driver who is a simulated critical patient.
Asst. Chief McKeever and Chief 4 assist the driver of the black car to the back of A48 for treatment and transport.
Following her successful extraction, the critical patient (driver of the red Jeep) is loaded into the back of A48 to be transported to a local landing zone, then ultimately to an area trauma center.
Following each mock crash scenario, students return to the auditorium to hear guest speakers break down the crash, injuries, potential legal ramifications, and from a guest speaker who has been affected first hand by an impaired driver.
