Held at VVC's Regional Public Safety Training Center, the biannual drill had aspiring firefighters, paramedics, nurses and law enforcement officers work together to manage various emergency situations.
"We just had an active shooter scenario, and we've got about three or four injured patients to treat," VVC nursing professor Terry Truelove said, by way of example.
More than 30 different training scenarios were included in Thursday's drill, such as battling a house fire, extricating victims from the wreckage of a crash, rescuing lost hikers and triaging trauma patients. A police riot scenario was also incorporated, complete with a group of "protestors" and a line of armed "police officers" facing off.
"It puts our students in real-life situations that they may find themselves when they enter the workforce," VVC spokesman Robert Sewell said.
One new addition to the drill was the introduction of simulated patients with mental health issues, according to Truelove, as well as patients with common ailments for an accurate depiction of a real-life disaster situation.
"Even though this disaster happened, there's still people coming in that say "hey, I just broke my arm,' which is very realistic," Truelove said. "We wanted to portray what it's like during these disasters for community hospitals."
Personnel from American Medical Response, the San Bernardino County Fire and County Sheriff's Departments, the Apple Valley Fire Protection District, and the California Highway Patrol participated in the event as well, providing resources for training. Local high school students were also invited to attend as observers.
"All these students were amazing. I'm proud to say I'm a part of VVC," Truelove enthused.
VVC has held these drills twice a year since 2013. The next drill is scheduled to take place in the 2018 spring semester.
"This is very realistic and unfortunately, part of our society," Truelove said. "But all we can do is prepare, continue exercises like this, and continue to live our lives."
Paola Baker may be reached at 760-955-5332 or PBaker@VVDailyPress.com. Follow her on Twitter at @DP_PaolaBaker.
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