New RRFR cadets train for EMT scenarios before joining department

RIO RANCHO — Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue’s newest cadets are closer to their real-world experience within the department. They were training for mass casualty incidents the morning of April 29 as part of their EMT training in the Rio Rancho Events Center upper parking lot.

The students are from the department’s EMT-Basic class and will be assigned to their stations next week, according to RRFR public information officer Sean Gerdemann.

“It was our Rio Rancho Fire Rescue EMT basic class with 14 of our newest members that were all receiving their EMS licenses, and this is kind of the culmination of their class,” he said.

“They are going out and basically working on what we call a mass casualty incident. Here they had to triage multiple patients, call in additional resources, such as our air ambulances, and then just kind of put all of that book knowledge and things that they’ve been learning over the past six weeks into an actual practice exercise scenario.”

Gerdemann said the city is growing and, as unfortunate as those incidents are, it’s best that RRFR staff are always trained on it, especially the newest members. This class of 14 just went through a 20-week fire academy and went straight to a six-week EMT school. They will be on shift as brand-new firefighters next week, according to Gerdemann.

“They’re just going to be assigned different stations and shifts based on the needs of the shifts,” he said.

The mass casualty simulation is not only the next step for their training but also an integral part to their skill development in real-world scenarios.

“It helps develop a scene awareness. It helps them develop patient management. It helps develop those interpersonal relationships, speaking with people in times of distress. All of those really important skills,” Gerdemann said. “It also helps develop treating patients on scenes of multiple patients.”

Part of the scenario is working with outside agencies to address the needs of an accident.

Mass casualty incidents, according to Gerdemann, consist of three or more victims in the scope of RRFR work. The need for more trained cadets in that type of scenario is present in the city.

“We haven’t seen a dramatic increase, but just as any city grows or any community grows, the chances that things like that may happen go up,” he said.

The multi-component training is a way to prepare the next generation of firefighters for those issues. Gerdemann talked about some of the inner workings of the training, including dispatch personnel, a PHI helicopter, a lifeguard, a University of New Mexico partner helicopter, the Rio Rancho Community Emergency Response Team and some off-duty members. Some of the members got their acting skills ready so they could be patients for the trainees.

“This wouldn’t have happened without all of those members willing to come down and help. And a thank you to Captain Aric Ray, who was our EMS captain. He really drilled this and got it all put together,” he said.

Ray said the training is invaluable to new cadets.

“This type of exercise is a valuable opportunity for our EMT-Basic students to experience the challenges and fast-paced decision-making that occur during real emergencies,” said Ray the week before the training. “It’s also a great chance to strengthen our partnerships with regional air medical agencies and ensure seamless cooperation in the field.”