CABOT, Ark. — First responders in Cabot must always be prepped and ready for any emergency situation that could arise. And to help first responders prepare, Cabot High School students got to go on a field trip that was a little out of the ordinary.
They didn't go to a museum or even the State Capitol— but instead, they went on a field trip that was a little more hands-on than most.
Students were able to join in on various emergency demonstrations so that first responders could better prepare for what could come their way.
"I also had a lot more major of an injury, so I was able to play the part a little bit better," Ava Neal, a junior at the high school said.
Some students at Cabot High School mentioned that this opportunity may have sparked interest in a future career for them.
"I knew I wanted to enter the medical field," Senior Ethan Camacho, said. "I just figured this would be a good opportunity."
The students aren't the only ones that were able to learn from the situation.
"It's great to work these incidents that are very atypical, just to see how we're all going to perform," Cabot Fire Chief, Chad Moore, said.
Though the screams that came from the back of the Cabot Emergency Hospital were fake, the situation that was simulated, was not.
First responders treated the training situation like an actual crisis. In this case, it was a bus crash.
"When we come, it's usually on people's worst days," Moore said. "We want to try to make that day just a little bit better."
Moore kept an eye on the action as his firefighters did what they'd been trained to do. They offered first aid and stabilized "victims" alongside MEMS paramedics and Cabot Police.
Though they do work to save lives daily, they don't always work with other agencies within their training.
"Not necessarily on this sort of scale, but we're working with both these agencies all the time," Moore said.
Moore explained that they never know what challenges could come their way.
"Speaking for the police as well, their training on different incidents, this is just one of the things that we've culminated together," Moore said.
While this was just training for some and a field trip for others, it brought peace of mind for all involved that they can handle what was thrown their way.
"It did make me more comfortable to see how they do it, and that they want to make sure we're comfortable and that we're not panicking," Neal said. "That's probably one of the biggest parts and it was just really cool to see them doing that."