Mobile Emergency Medicine Lab visits Beach
The Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center’s Mobile Simulation Lab, a bus-like vehicle with training procedures for chemical, biological and radiological treatment and response times using simulation technology, stopped by Fort Myers Beach last week during its tour of Emergency Medical Services organizations in the state.
Emergency responders for the FMB Fire Control District took turns learning certain measures of non-traditional health care training inside the mobile lab at Fire Station #31 at certain times during the week. The mobile lab, which is base out of Orlando, travels to cities and towns in the state for specific training requirements.
The learning and resource center is a non-profit organization that the Florida Department of Health has subcontracted to provide Weapons of Mass Destruction treatment and response using simulation technology, according to Eric Dotten, clinical program coordinator of the EMLRC.
“We take this bus to every fire rescue in the EMS organization in the state of Florida,” Dotten said. “We provide them with the signs and symptoms of all the different chemical, biological and radiological problems they would face with terrorism and have them identify that. We dispatch them to a normal situation such as abdominal pain or a common allergic reaction at some place like Walmart, and they have to deal with small pox.”
During the simulated case on Wednesday, Dotten said the Beach Fire Fighters and EMS paramedics were treating a simulated case of Tularemia, a little-known biological agent which is also known as rapid fever.
“In a natural environment, Tularemia isn’t that harmful,” he said. “However, it can be used in terrorism as an aerosol agent to affect the food and water supply to have a great number of casualties. It is potentially deadly.”
This mobile unit could come in handy during the recent plaque outbreak in China, says Dotten.
“They’ve had three deaths there due to the Pneumonic Plague,” he said. “The question is: Is this a natural event or was this a small terrorist attack on a small remote area before it comes to the U.S.? We’re not sure. So, we are training these emergency responders to recognize these signs and symptoms to better safeguard the general public.”
During a simulated training exercise last Wednesday, Dotten checked the computers monitors while Beach emergency responders -Lt. Reno; fire fighter/paramedic engineer Kraus; and fire fighter/paramedic Gonzalez- did the actual training.
“All these monitors are set up to record the crews going through to get feedback to the department of how well they are doing and to actually watch them provide the treatment,” said Dotten. “We want to make sure they are treating the patients appropriately so they make the mistakes here in the lab that hopefully they won’t make out on the streets.”
The center’s motto is life-saving education for life savers.
Mobile Emergency Medicine Lab visits Beach
Members of the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District have been taking turns learning certain measures of non-traditional health care training inside the visiting Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center’s Mobile Simulation Lab at Fire Station #31 this week.
The mobile lab, out of Orlando, simulated different visuals for emergency responders to treat such as chemical, biological and radiological conditions.
The center is a non-profit organization that the Florida Department of Health has subcontracted to provide Weapons of Mass Destruction treatment and response using simulation technology, according to Eric Dotten, clinical program coordinator of the EMLRC.
“We take this bus to every fire rescue in the Emergency Medical Services organization in the state of Florida,” he said. “We provide them with the signs and symptoms of all the different chemical, biological and radiological problems they would face with terrorism and have them identify that. We dispatch them to a normal situation such as abdominal pain or a common allergic reaction at some place like Wal-mart, and they have to deal with small pox.”
During the simulated case on Wednesday, Dotten said the Beach Fire Fighters and EMS paramedics were treating a simulated case of Tularemia, a little-known biological agent which is also known as rapid fever.
“In a natural environment, it isn’t that harmful,” he said. “However, it can be used in terrorism as an aerosol agent to affect the food and water supply to cause a great number of casualties. It is potentially deadly.”
The Emergency Medicine Learning & Resource Center’s Mobile Simulation Lab is expected to be moving to another location in the state tomorrow afternoon.