VOLUNTEERS IN THE FIELD |
EMS TRAINING CONCLUDES IN GYUMRI
Preparation Now Begins For Next Year
(15 May 2012) Final Class Day Travel Blog
Up at 0600 and anticipation mounts. Today will conclude our week-long course; the foundation for which all of our training is based. There are two scenarios simulating mass casualty incidents planned for the class participants. Brian has made the morning coffee while we go over 3 x 5 cards that have been created to hand to our pretend “victims” outlining the injuries we want them to simulate for the students.
The walk to the school serving as the site of our training course will be our last. It is remarkable that this city once served as the hub of activity for the country and was being groomed as the population center for Armenia. Long surpassed by the capital city of Yerevan in population and modernization, much of it lies in disrepair with many abandoned or crumbling buildings and roads and infrastructure that have been neglected. Despite the conditions, the resolve and the pride of the people remain unwavering. The community has a remarkable national pride and solidarity for support of their city. We pass scores of people on their way to work. The stoic expressions on their faces quickly melt to a smile when we greet them in passing; many of them greeting us in English. Difficult for me to imagine, the pain and suffering that many of the people have endured as well as the relentlessness of pulling themselves back up on their feet after such hardship. Through genocide, war, a massive earthquake, Communist rule, harsh climate, unemployment, tragedy and loss, the people fall back on their family and faith to remain optimistic about the future.
The mile walk to the school ended and we awaited our class. The first scenario was prepped and ready with a car simulated to have crashed into a crowded marketplace. Ten victims lie moulaged with fake injuries and covered with fake blood to make the event more realistic. The class sprung into action, quickly grabbing all of the equipment and racing outside to find the carnage. Remarkably, there was little chaos as they systematically triaged each victim, treating them according to the most severely injured. They used every skill learned in class to bandage, splint, immobilize and transport each victim out of the scene. It was an incredible sight to see as we witnessed the culmination of everything they learned, many of them never had been trained in first aid.
Alas, the final scenario was here: an explosion in a boiler room had injured six victims inside the school. Unsure of the potential for a gas leak, the students quickly extricated all the victims out of the hazard zone into a nearby treatment area located in the gym. There, they applied the remaining techniques learned in class, looking confident, calm and professional.
After a short break, we prepared for a closing ceremony involving the students, dignitaries and national media from three different sources. Brian and I fielded a barrage of questions from the media relating to why we were there, the skill level of the students, and our plans to help in the future. I have a new appreciation for people in the limelight. I never realized how mentally exhausting it is to be interviewed, photographed and pulled in several different directions as we were in those couple hours. See the interview here (in Armenian).
The presentation of certificates for the participants rounded out the day and speeches by both agencies closed the presentation. An incredible reception of food and a centerpiece of a cake with both agencies’ logos took center stage. It is incredible to think that a few short years ago, I sketched the GMR logo on a piece of scratch paper for the very first time. I’m now looking at it on a cake celebrating the partnership between us and an agency on the opposite side of the world; both with the same goal of improving public safety and human rights. Our 21st project has come to a conclusion. Perhaps the word “conclusion” is an inappropriate choice of words. The correct term should be “beginning”. GMR will return next year for a continuation of our curriculum in an earthquake preparedness class (Urban Search & Rescue) with the Armenia Rescue Service of Gyumri. It will be an opportunity for them to receive new techniques for doing their job, and for us to learn from the wisdom of those who have faced disaster first hand. The planning starts now.
On behalf of Global Mission Readiness, I would like to thank Sergey Gabrielyan and his staff from New Generation NGO, Arman Sahakyan from Guarantee Center for Civil Society, Marissa Valdez and the Peace Corps volunteers, our interpreters, students, sponsors, supporters, family and lastly our volunteers: Josh Gehrke, Sean Fogarty and Brian Rooney who helped me make this project possible.
Thank you everyone! We’ll see you on the next project!!!
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Press Releases |
05/14/2012 15:26
Guest writers, Sean Fogarty and Josh Gehrke fill in and give us their perspectives on days 3 & 4 of EMS training in Gyumri, Armenia. Read More...
05/13/2012 04:26
Our second day of class was incredible. The students were so involved and eager to learn. The class covered wounds and bandaging as well as splinting. Despite a small faux pas on my part, we definitely got our message across. Read More...
05/10/2012 12:20
We are on the ground in Armenia and teaching in Gyumri - Please follow our travel blog to get a detailed glimpse of our project. Day 1 -2 are included here. Read More...