In the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean, just east of the Mariana Islands, lies a hole so vast that if Mount Everest were dropped into it, there would be more than a mile of water still covering its peak. According to Deep Sea Challenge only two people have ever ventured to its deepest point. Yet in the heart of the Matsu Valley in mid-June, several middle schoolers encountered their own version of "Mariana's Trench" -- learning that evil often lurks in dark spaces, and that beautiful Mariana can often be hiding sinister secrets.
Enter Dr. Nevis, Crime Scene Investigator (CSI), Camp Director of the Matsu College. Billy, Mariana's husband, is currently in a coma, following a savage screwdriver attack. Unable to communicate with police, it is up to the highly skilled CSI-trainees to decipher the web of evidence, determine the identity of the attacker, and convince the district attorney to pursue justice. CSI-trainee Ethan Martin recounts the details:
"After learning observational skills, we entered the crime scene to begin our inventories. There was a massive blood spatter on the floor and footprints leading away from the scene. There was a container of what appeared to be cocaine found beneath Billy's chair. Lab testing for cocaine, meth, THC, spice, and heroin revealed that the container was, indeed, cocaine. Initial suspects included Mike, Billy's friend, and Mariana, Billy's wife. Mike confirmed that Billy did occasionally use illegal drugs, and Mariana was the one who discovered Billy after she returned from grocery shopping for four hours! Mike and Mariana both agreed to allow us to take hair samples for DNA testing using microscopes. The bloody footprint matched neither suspect, and additional interviews revealed that an unfamiliar car had been seen in the vicinity during the time of the incident. The car and the footprint would be linked to Mariana's boyfriend, who ultimately would be arrested for murder -- since Billy never awoke from his coma. Mariana allegedly knew nothing of the attack; but that may be another camp..."
As if all that crime-stopping, gross evidence-collection, and analysis weren't enough, Ethan decided to take his role-playing skills to the next level. Once again Matsu College provided a wonderful opportunity! They needed live actors to participate in mass casualty exercises for paramedic training. The stage involved two separate mass casualty bus accidents. Given the extreme winter weather conditions here and the increase in tour bus traffic during the summer, the scenarios were staged as close to real life as possible -- including the medical moulage.
Given our experience from ions ago in Interior Alaska playing deployment games with children, we knew that the best "victims" are convincing victims. During our first "rodeo" we only let the children watch the moulage take place -- until one brave soul said, "I'd like to be moulaged!" From that time on, medical moulage for the kids at camp became as standard a procedure as face painting at the county fair! So Ethan was ecstatic when one of the paramedic professors looked him right in the eye and said, "How about you? Do you want visible injuries?" From an exercise "director" and facilitator standpoint, I can certainly understand trying to create an authentic experience for the learners. Besides... that's the fun kid part! We even held a WWE birthday party for Andrew one year -- complete with moulage black eyes! Yikes! And when Alex was moulaged one year for Operation Bug Out, we found him sick in the bathroom because he had "looked at his injuries in the mirror!" What kind of parents are we?!
"After learning observational skills, we entered the crime scene to begin our inventories. There was a massive blood spatter on the floor and footprints leading away from the scene. There was a container of what appeared to be cocaine found beneath Billy's chair. Lab testing for cocaine, meth, THC, spice, and heroin revealed that the container was, indeed, cocaine. Initial suspects included Mike, Billy's friend, and Mariana, Billy's wife. Mike confirmed that Billy did occasionally use illegal drugs, and Mariana was the one who discovered Billy after she returned from grocery shopping for four hours! Mike and Mariana both agreed to allow us to take hair samples for DNA testing using microscopes. The bloody footprint matched neither suspect, and additional interviews revealed that an unfamiliar car had been seen in the vicinity during the time of the incident. The car and the footprint would be linked to Mariana's boyfriend, who ultimately would be arrested for murder -- since Billy never awoke from his coma. Mariana allegedly knew nothing of the attack; but that may be another camp..."
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| DNA Capture Human Saliva - Ethan's! |
As if all that crime-stopping, gross evidence-collection, and analysis weren't enough, Ethan decided to take his role-playing skills to the next level. Once again Matsu College provided a wonderful opportunity! They needed live actors to participate in mass casualty exercises for paramedic training. The stage involved two separate mass casualty bus accidents. Given the extreme winter weather conditions here and the increase in tour bus traffic during the summer, the scenarios were staged as close to real life as possible -- including the medical moulage.
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| Medical Moulage 2016 |
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| Victim Ethan Staging Area |
So...guess who got to throw the paramedics the "freaked out mom and dad" arriving on scene? I was alright until I noticed they were staging "victims" on three tarps -- green, yellow, and red -- like a traffic signal. An additional part of the staging multiple victims includes tagging -- placing large placards around each neck and ripping the corresponding color strip from the tag that matches the tarp. So far, so good...we're tracking well. Then scenario two occurred...
All of the victims were staged within the seats and aisles of a school bus and instructed NOT to understand or speak English -- i.e. simulating a tour bus or a busload of foreign exchange students. A child-size mannequin lay lifeless on the ground in front of the bus, the first fatality of the simulation. Parent participants were told to wait until 5 minutes into the simulation, then "storm" the paramedics. Oh, and by the way, WE didn't speak English either! Michael and another parent rushed the bus --screaming in Turkish and Spanish. Ethan overheard one of the medics nervously say, "Prepare to intercept the boy's father!" Another parent and I stormed the tarps screaming for our children. We were immediately stopped by a lone paramedic who was attempting to triage the "victims" and handle these crazy parents. The woman I was with spoke nothing but Arabic, and I spoke Russian. She immediately found her daughter and attempted to take her from the scene to "get her to the hospital quicker." I, however, couldn't find Ethan -- on any of the tarps. So, then I stormed the bus with Michael. We were gently escorted back to the tarps to wait for our son, by a nice man, who kindly threatened us with pretty silver bracelets.
It was at that moment that the reality of the work that the paramedics do actually hit me. Because you see, I know me...we were "subdued" for this exercise because we didn't want them to completely forget the first aid they were attempting to give -- but it was a quick, tough does of "reality" for all of us. They thought they were prepared, until a busload of children couldn't understand or respond to simple instructions in English. They thought they could handle the emergencies until crazy parents began showing up on-scene and creating additional chaos. And I thought I "knew" what medics went through responding to accident scenes or crashes.
Ethan's "injuries" included two broken legs, a collapsed lung, and a severe gash to his head. But it wasn't until we saw him "tagged" and lying lifeless on the red tarp that the thought of being a parent in that situation kicked in...red tarps were awaiting Life Flights. Hearing the paramedics work, seeing their intensity (even though it was "only" practice), and wondering what they meant by "intercepting the boy's father" proved more educational than anything he could have ever read about paramedic training and preparation.
"Pretending" opened all our eyes, and while it was tough to imagine ourselves in that kind of a situation, we are all so grateful for the opportunity to volunteer to help the them train. The next time you see an ambulance, we hope you will think of our "fun" exercise, remember those first responders, the victims, and say a prayer for them all.
All of the victims were staged within the seats and aisles of a school bus and instructed NOT to understand or speak English -- i.e. simulating a tour bus or a busload of foreign exchange students. A child-size mannequin lay lifeless on the ground in front of the bus, the first fatality of the simulation. Parent participants were told to wait until 5 minutes into the simulation, then "storm" the paramedics. Oh, and by the way, WE didn't speak English either! Michael and another parent rushed the bus --screaming in Turkish and Spanish. Ethan overheard one of the medics nervously say, "Prepare to intercept the boy's father!" Another parent and I stormed the tarps screaming for our children. We were immediately stopped by a lone paramedic who was attempting to triage the "victims" and handle these crazy parents. The woman I was with spoke nothing but Arabic, and I spoke Russian. She immediately found her daughter and attempted to take her from the scene to "get her to the hospital quicker." I, however, couldn't find Ethan -- on any of the tarps. So, then I stormed the bus with Michael. We were gently escorted back to the tarps to wait for our son, by a nice man, who kindly threatened us with pretty silver bracelets.
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| Scenario 1 -- Superficial Cuts & Bruises Potential Collapsed Lung |
Ethan's "injuries" included two broken legs, a collapsed lung, and a severe gash to his head. But it wasn't until we saw him "tagged" and lying lifeless on the red tarp that the thought of being a parent in that situation kicked in...red tarps were awaiting Life Flights. Hearing the paramedics work, seeing their intensity (even though it was "only" practice), and wondering what they meant by "intercepting the boy's father" proved more educational than anything he could have ever read about paramedic training and preparation.
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| Practicing Our Chalk Outlines |
Join us next time as The Matthew Beaver Family takes on Alaska!
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| Matthew, Ruth, and Jack Jack Beluga Point 2016 |
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