Safety First

College and community partners take part in mock emergencies to prepare for the real thing.

When it comes to preparing for emergencies, those who are on the front lines know it is not a matter of if an emergency will happen, but when. They also know it will take a multidisciplinary team to respond.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of education at Fanshawe, and the emergency training exercises that happen on the College’s campuses each year are a shining example. Students preparing for careers in paramedic services, respiratory therapy, nursing, police services, 911 dispatch—and even acting—join community partners to simulate realistic emergency situations.

“Students who will soon be on the front lines of emergency response have the opportunity for hands-on training in a controlled environment,” says Chris Slabon, faculty member in Fanshawe’s Paramedic program. “Students from multiple programs collaborate, just like how they will in their careers.”

For students, it is a valuable, and memorable, experience.

“Trauma and Treatment was one of the best school experiences I have ever had,” says Pamela Speranza (Paramedic alumni, 2023). “It was great to put everything I learned over the two years together. It will forever be one of the best memories I have of the Fanshawe Paramedic program.”

Police, fire and paramedic services from surrounding regions come to Fanshawe to take part in the exercises. The 2023 scenarios were held at the College’s London Campus,

Aviation Centre and Woodstock/Oxford Regional Campus and included multiple patients experiencing medical, traumatic and mental health emergencies.

“The exercises are a valuable experience for our students, and they also provide an opportunity to gain a mutual understanding of emergency response protocols between the College and community emergency responders,” says Brenda Henry, director of Environment, Health, Safety and Emergency Services at Fanshawe.

Watch the 2023 Trauma and Treatment Emergency Preparedness Exercise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haOEH1Z96HA