Drill's a blast for students

A crowded bus, 32 emergency responders and 21 high school students met Friday at the University of Utah, all in the name of practice.

The Salt Lake City Fire Department and University of Utah Hospital burn unit collaborated to stage a mock disaster to exercise their plan for a large-casualty burn incident.

"It's up and rolling, it's great," said Lezli Matthews, nurse manager of the burn center. "The scenario is all real, the only part that is not real is the kids — they are having too much fun," Matthews joked.

The fire department has done many disaster drills, but "it's the first time (they) have done a burn drill," according to Mark Bednarik, public information officer for the fire department.

"I just did it to get out of school," said Brandon Hilton, a student of Granite Technical Institute. "It sounded pretty cool."

Hilton and another classmate who volunteered to be burn victims displayed multiple faux burn injuries painted on their bodies as they lay by the bus waiting for the drill to begin.

Granite Technical Institute, a school teaching classes related to the medical field, let 21 high school students volunteer for the exercise.

Students joked and laughed with each other about their injuries before the drill began. The first ambulance arrived and the laughter and play immediately turned into cries and work as emergency responders came to the scene.

Six engines and three ambulances rushed to a university parking lot where the mock incendiary explosion took place in a bus full of students. Crews moved around the area to perform triage on the victims.

"I would be freaking out and moving fast," said Cher Burbank, a chaperone for the students of the Granite School District.

Emergency responders took a different approach to the drill.

"We try not to get ramped up on the scene, even when it's a real scenario," said paramedic coordinator Matt Taylor.

Jennifer Carlson, a Granite Technical Institute teacher, said, "The students (as victims) are truly getting training for the career they may want to pursue."

After the Sept. 11 attacks, a New York burn center received an overload of 18 patients over a short period of time, prompting the University of Utah's burn unit to re-evaluate its plans.

"Ours is the only burn center in the region," Matthews said.

The fire department and the university felt it was important a new plan be implemented with options to transport patients to other centers if necessary.

"We hope this never really happens, but want to be prepared in case anything ever does happen," Bednarik said.

E-MAIL: cneugebauer@desnews.com