STUDENTS PARTNER WITH ACTS WORLD RELIEF
by Tim Floyd
Fourteen students from Forest Lake Academy (FLA), Apopka, Fla., partnered with ACTS (Active Christians That Serve) World Relief and its training arm, Global Rapid Rescue and Relief (GR3), to simulate a disaster at Orlando International Airport. The Orlando International Mass Casualty Training Event on March 13 and 14 had more than 700 participants, including students from FLA, Miami Union Academy in North Miami, Fla., and Heritage Academy in Monterey, Tenn. This was the largest mass casualty simulation on the east coast where young people took a professional part.
The day before the drill, students from the three academies gathered on FLA’s campus for training. They learned disaster response skills such as CPR, swift water rescue techniques, food safety, knot-tying skills, and moulage. FLA students were assigned to the moulage team creating fake injuries on the victims.
Thursday morning, students gathered to prep victims for the disaster drill. They spent the morning painting on injuries such as burns and head wounds. In one and a half hours, students helped prepare 320 victims who were sent to 21 different hospitals after the planned explosion at the airport. After the students prepped the victims, they were allowed to participate in a dispersion drill.
This program was an excellent opportunity for young people to support emergency response professionals in preparedness and response.
More information about ACTS World Relief and GR3 is available at ACTSWR.org including a Mass Casualty Training In Moulage video (which can also be viewed below).