The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Acting at the scene of an accident

SIUC graduate Stacy Riss spent Thursday morning tending to bruises, abrasions and blood on victims at the Amtrak station.

She is able to remain calm during the process because, after all, the incident she is responding to has not yet taken place.

Riss was one of three individuals responsible not for the healing of injuries in the simulated accident Thursday, but for its creation. The wounds created by Riss and other make-up artists add to the believability of the simulated disaster, which took place at 9 a.m. at the Amtrak Station, located at 401 S. Illinois Ave. It gave students the opportunity to react to a simulated passenger train and car wrecks.

Organizations such as Student Health Programs, the Jackson County Ambulance Service and the Theatre Department assisted in the simulation.

The number of train wrecks that have occurred in the area recently prompted the idea for this year's simulation. Former engineer Lyle Ernst, who worked with Illinois Central for 42 years, said he believes many people do not possess the appropriate knowledge of what to do in a train emergency.

"People need to realize there are more concepts behind it," Ernst said. "The train will not stop in a second, and people don't seem to realize what they're running against or in front of when this happens."

The students were graded on their performance while helping wounded victims from the train and car. They were responsible for performing all of the necessary preparation, such as stabilizing victims and checking their vital signs.

Peggy Wilken, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Education and Recreation, said the fake victims numbered six major injuries and 20 walking wounded who needed care.

"It's just important just in case this does happen to know what precautions to take - maybe it will be somewhat of a warning of what to do," said Selena Rolle, a junior from Chicago studying pre-med. "It's definitely a learning experience for me because I've never been in even a car accident. This is my first experience with any type of accident."

Fire and police departments from Carbondale and Dowell assisted with the accident. County and SIUC police were also involved in the simulation. In previous years, the class has responded to incidents at the scene of a simulated meth lab explosion, bus wreck and plane crash.

David Birch, chairman of the Department of Health Education and Recreation, said he would begin immediately to plan next year's simulated incident.

The first people to arrive at the fake accident were make-up artists who designed realistic wounds for volunteer victims. They were given papers describing the injuries to place on each victim. Students were recorded on camera during the simulation and later graded on their performance.

"I think we did decent," said Kyle Annerino, a student in the First-Aid class and a senior studying rehabilitation services from Chicago. "I mean, there are always ways you could've done better. It was a valuable experience and pretty close to what the real situation would be. Anything in the classroom is going to be kind of far off because you won't have the fake blood or the firemen there."

Birch said the simulation took about two hours for students to complete. He said the incident was not only beneficial to students in the First-Aid class, but also to firefighters, police officers and ambulance workers who worked together on the simulation.

"Really, what it does is give students an opportunity to access what they've learned in First-Aid class and apply these skills to use them in the real world," Birch said.

Wilken said she was not aware of any simulations similar to this taking place in the state and said she believed the SIUC program to be one of the top programs in Illinois. Those who participated agreed although the classroom experience was beneficial, the simulation was the most valuable lesson.

"We made some mistakes, but we learn from them," said Shannon Holubet, a senior studying administration of justice from Downer's Grove. "There was nothing we weren't expecting or haven't learned in class. It's just that when there are multiple injuries and there are two are three people who are hurt, you have to learn to prioritize."

 

 

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