Blood is splattered on the floor and bodies of the wounded and dead are scattered around the room. Every way you turn, you see chaos and the screaming never stops. This carnage is not real, despite how vivid it may seem. It is Lethbridge College’s third annual Simulated Learning Incident for Collaboration and Knowledge (SLICK), which is a fancy name for a mass-casualty training incident.
“They’re going to see a high-stress, multi-casualty incident and see the different disciplines all working together. [They are] able to see the different roles involved with a mass casualty,” said Sheri Wright, coordinator of the event and Lethbridge College’s Simulated Patient Health Environment for Research and Education.
The training exercise involves students and staff from the college’s Bachelor of Nursing, Digital Communications and Media, Justice Studies, Practical Nurse and Primary Care Paramedic programs, as well as alumni and other volunteers.
Jeremih Small Legs has volunteered as an actor for the event before, but this is his first year as the lead assailant.
“Dragging someone up and down a staircase, cutting off someone’s finger – a few shots to people’s heads – nail-guns. And then the least proud moment is I do end up killing two kids,” Small Legs said, describing his performance and adding this year’s exercise is more violent than previous ones.
The gruesome scenario is based on an actual crime committed in Saskatchewan.
The carnage began when men show up at the wrong apartment to collect on a drug debt. They tortured the inhabitants found inside in order to get their money. When they realized the error, they left and went to the correct address and assaulted people there as well.
Murray Bartley, a retired member of the RCMP’s homicide unit and instructor in the college’s justice studies program, wrote the scenario. He was part of the investigation of the actual crime.
“This allows the students to actually feel what stress and pressure is really all about. We can’t teach this in a PowerPoint,” he said, adding the exercise is a good opportunity to see how justice studies students react in a high-stress situation.
Marissa Ingrilli is a first-year primary care provider student and was involved in triage exercises during the event. She seemed ready for the action.
“I’m excited,” said Ingrilli.
The college will put on another SLICK event in March.
