CONWAY, Ark. — (Warning: Everything in the video embedded in this story is staged, but you may find some scenes to be graphic.)
Staff at the University Of Central Arkansas got hands-on training to help people on campus in the event of a disaster.
The team trained for three weeks and June 27th was their last lesson.
“We’ve got a mock disaster scenario at the Adam Bunker. We’ve got a mock disaster scenario set up. We’ve got victims and they’ve got blood and moulage and everything else, and it’s up to our team to effectively respond to the situation.” UCA Emergency Management Coordinator Tyler Lachowsky said.
This is called Community Emergency Response Team training.
The nationwide program educates people about disaster preparedness.
“UCA is just as vulnerable as anywhere else to disasters or incidents or emergencies. We really want to make sure we can take care of our students when they’re on campus,” Lachowsky said.
They learn things like fire safety, light search and rescue, and disaster medical operations.
All they need are household items like blankets and belts.
“The way I like to say it is: we fill in the gap between when disaster happens and when professional responders arrive,” UCA Conference Services Director Melanie Watson said.
Some of these volunteers already have real-world experience and have helped victims after recent tornadoes and flooding.
"It is very scary, at least for the people who survived it. And you can see the shellshock," Watson said.
The team says the simulation shows what it really takes to make sure no one is left behind.
“Things that we may not have noticed before, we have to notice now because we have to be situationally aware," Watson said.
If you are interested in training like this, you can contact your local office of emergency management.
The University of Central Arkansas hopes to have another training for their community again.