Special training event prepares paramedics for large-scale emergencies1 min read

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Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services and Kitchener Fire Department held a special training activity for new recruits last month.

The “Mass Casualty Mock Event” was held at Waterloo Region Emergency Services Training and Research Centre on Erb’s Road on the edge of Waterloo. Firefighters, police and paramedics got the chance to practice what to do in a large-scale emergency.

The training scenario simulated an explosion in a coffee shop. A make-up artist worked with approximately 30 volunteers to simulate a variety of injuries and conditions that need different responses. Smoke machines filled the building with smoke, and mannequins were rescued from the multi-level building.

Trainings like this one are a chance for the different first responders to test and strengthen their co-operation. They’re also useful practice for newer recruits.

The Waterloo Region Emergency Services Training and Research Centre, or simply “WRESTRC,” is a 40-acre property with specialized structures and open-area sites to help replicate scenarios that first-responders face in their work, including:

• Burn room training in the multi-storey training structure
• Vehicle-manoeuvring training on the test track
• Police tactical response training
• Fire and first response in various re-created settings
• Police canine-unit training
• Classroom training in the administration building

Fire, paramedics and police services that support our residents use this training ground for response training in realistic, controlled conditions.