Students Participate in Immersive Emergency Response Simulation Event!
Last Thursday, our Protective Services lecturers, Nicola Stent and David Usher, hosted a highly impactful and collaborative event involving students from Protective Services, Performing Arts, and UCW Hair, Makeup, and Prosthetics. With expert guidance from Tara O'Hare, a lecturer in Hair, Makeup, and Prosthetics, this exciting simulation provided learners with real-world, practical experience in emergency response scenarios.
The event tested students' skills in handling crises, working under pressure, and collaborating across disciplines, making it a truly enriching learning opportunity.
The event featured two simultaneous intense and immersive simulations. The first involved a gas explosion in the Production Arts classroom, while the second took place in the Sports Hall, where students responded to mystery attack and attack/bike collision scenarios. The mystery attack scenario was designed to test the crisis management and communication skills of the students. It involved four Performing Arts students, with one portraying a woman who had just broken up with her partner. Along with her three friends, she was stabbed by the ex-partner, who had followed them. A passing biker stopped to help and was also injured in the attack. The woman, knowing the attacker as her former partner, called Nicola, who was acting as 999 emergency services, via Teams to report the incident. The Protective Services students (who were unbeknownst to this planned simulation) sprang into action, immediately taking charge of the scene when the distress call was received. They engaged in a rapid and detailed assessment of the situation, asking critical questions about the number of casualties and the identity of the attacker.
Our Protective Services, Performing Arts, and UCW Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics learners collaborated to create a close-to-real-life simulation of a critical incident to test how our Protective Services learners would react. 💥💥 Here's how it went...
The Protective Services students secured the scene, performed first aid, and ensured proper protocol was followed, simulating the role of police officers and emergency responders.
The second simulation focused on a gas explosion scenario in the Production Arts classroom. The Protective Services students had been waiting outside for their lesson, only to find the room had been hit by an explosion. Inside, Drama students acted as victims, injured and in pain, with their wounds carefully painted on by the Hair, Makeup, and Prosthetics students. The Protective Services team had to act swiftly, treating the victims’ injuries and preparing for the unexpected. They also had to manage the threat of a fake bomb, ensuring a swift evacuation of the casualties to a safe triage area, securing the crime scene, and following emergency procedures.
The event allowed students to explore the more practical side of their courses, helping them understand the importance of teamwork, communication, and quick decision-making in emergency scenarios. They also gained invaluable insights into the process of responding to 999 calls, securing crime scenes, and providing immediate care in high-stress situations.
Without the support of the other student departments within the College, the event wouldn’t have been such a success. Our Performing Arts students excellently stayed in character throughout the simulation, acting as victims in distress, and convincingly portraying their injuries; the Hair, Makeup, and Prosthetics students, expertly crafted lifelike injuries, from stab wounds to burns and abrasions, bringing the scenarios to life; and the Protective Services students, who demonstrated professionalism and composure under pressure, responding to the emergencies with precision and care.
And a huge thank you to Nicola Stent for making what the students thought would be a normal lesson into a fast-paced simulation that we’re sure they’ll never forget!
This partnership forms part of the Protective Services, Performance and Production arts and Creative Arts Careers Excellence Hub. The College has fourteen sector-specific Career Excellence Hubs, which evidence our dedication to supporting both employers and learners in achieving their future goals. By creating a seamless connection between industry and education, we enable learners to acquire not only the essential skills and knowledge but also the professional networks necessary to excel in their chosen fields.
To learn more about our Protective Services courses, click here.
To find out about what courses we have to offer for Performance and Production Arts, please click here.
To see more about our Hair, Makeup and Prosthetics courses, click here.
If you are passionate about education and are looking for an opportunity to join the staff team at a leading college, then look at the latest job vacancies available at Weston College here. You can find all the latest job opportunities that Weston College has to offer, with a commitment to providing quality education for learners and a focus on continuous professional development for staff, Weston College is an excellent place to work and grow in your career.
