A large number of first responders are in the Salina area for a special training event this week. The Office of the State Fire Marshal and Disaster Medical Solutions is hosting the National Response Plan FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Medical Team Specialist Training Course. The course is designed and required for disaster response medical team members to help them prepare for future local, national, and international catastrophic events.

Instructors consisting of veterans with multiple deployments, provide real world experience through hands-on training are helping medical professionals refine their skills to treat victims in an austere environment. Instructor’s experience includes: OKC Bombing, PR Explosion, WTC/Pentagon Attacks, Hurricanes Andrew/Katrina/Sandy/Matthew/Harvey/Irma/Maria, National Security Events, Haiti/Mexico Earthquakes, and others.

These teams are called upon to respond to major disasters that require specialized skills and equipment to help save lives.  These major events include earthquakes, hurricanes, acts of terrorism, flooding, structural collapse, hazardous material incidents and confined space rescue.

Physicians and Paramedics will undergo 4 days of classroom instruction and live hands-on scenario-based training in collapsed structures and confined spaces.  They will learn techniques that have been proven to be effective during past incidents such as those mentioned above. The training will also include K9 training, to help members care for search dogs that normally deploy with US&R teams.

On Friday there will be a live Mass Casualty Incident Exercise with victims buried inside collapsed rubble waiting to be medically treated, rescued, and extracted from the disaster.

Five Task Force Response Agencies are represented throughout the state of Kansas.

Joe Hernandez, Program coordinator, said “By training Medical Taskforce Members in response to disasters using an all hazards approach will assist the State of Kansas be better prepared to save lives during future disasters.”

Crisis City is an advanced world class disaster training center located just outside of Salina where responders can experience the “real world” scenarios they will encounter while responding to disasters such as building collapses, tornadoes, or wide area floods.