On an April morning at Front Range Community College’s Larimer Campus, sirens blared, and helicopters hovered overhead—not for a real emergency, but to provide Emergency Medical Services (EMS), nursing and law enforcement students with an immersive training experience.
The full-scale Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drill brought together future first responders and seasoned professionals to simulate a real-world active shooter scenario.
This high-intensity training exercise tested students’ clinical and collaborative skills.
Collaborative Learning in Action
“This simulation wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our faculty and community partners,” said Angie Peach, FRCC Dean of Health Sciences and Wellness. “From triage to transport to treatment, students experienced the urgency, teamwork and critical thinking required in real-world emergency scenarios.”
The drill ran twice, and students rotated through roles as both responders and victims, offering them both perspectives. Local emergency agencies, including Greeley Fire, UCHealth ambulance services, Med Evac and multiple local law enforcement agencies, played a part in the drill.
Realistic Scenarios, Real-Time Decision-Making
FRCC’s Larimer Campus EMS Program Director Andrea Richards explained that flexibility is key to making these drills effective.
“For me, what was really fantastic was the way we ran the scenario the first time created some challenges for the Law Enforcement Academy. So that program director and I had a conversation, and we changed it for the second iteration to be able to meet the law enforcement cadets’ needs better,” she said.
“I like how flexible the drills are in that we can make those changes the day of to meet those challenges and to give each of the students the best training possible.”
Students triagined and treated patients, coordinating with fire and law enforcement crews and even practicing critical transitions of care.
“They got the opportunity to see the helicopter, and some students got the opportunity to load patients onto the helicopter,” Andrea added.
“EMS students also got to practice loading the patient in the back of the ambulance and then driving around the campus to drop the patient off and give a ‘hand off’ report to the nursing students, like at an ER bedside. So, as close to real-world experience as we could get in something of that magnitude.”
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‘Find Work and Do the Work’
Evan Guy is an EMT student with a background with the California Department of Forestry and Fire and the US Navy. The drill was the largest he’s ever participated in.
“I was tasked as a treatment officer,” he explained. “So, I oversaw the treatment of our walking wounded, our delayed care patients (those that could wait an hour or two) and our patients who need immediate care. It was a good learning opportunity to develop my skills to delegate treatment of patients.”
His takeaway? It’s okay to be overwhelmed.
“But at the same time, you have a job to do,” he added. “You’ve got to push your personal feelings, your egos to the side, and you have to be ready to work for the community and within your own agency itself. I think that’s probably the biggest takeaway for anyone: Find work and do the work.”
For Marine Corps veteran Tristan Shepherd, it was his first EMS class and his first MCI drill.
“It was great seeing how different departments of first responders integrate—EMS with police and fire—seeing how that all works together and seeing how things can go wrong, seeing the breakdowns in communication, seeing lapses in patient care,” he said.
“This is a controlled environment, and this is the place where we want to make mistakes [before] being out in the real world where people’s lives are really at stake. It was really helpful for me.”
A Graduate’s Perspective
Olivia Sheranian, an FRCC graduate of the EMS program who is now a lab instructor at the college, brought her experience as a current UCHealth employee to the training.
“In class, what [students] really don’t realize is how many bodies you actually have patient- and staff-wise and the reality that you can only fit so many patients in an ambulance. So, then what are you going to do with the rest? What other resources can we use, like a school bus, to get these patients out?” she explained.
She also emphasized the importance of learning proper communication protocol, which prevents communication from breaking down in a real-world scenario.
Training That Makes a Difference
Ultimately, events like the MCI drills prepare students for the unpredictable real world, teaching them to adapt in the most difficult circumstances.
As Angie put it, “these kinds of immersive exercises are what build competence, confidence and strong partnerships that ultimately develop future health care workers and save lives.”
What We Offer
FRCC provides two programs for Emergency Medical Services. Our Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) program is completed in one semester. Our Clinical EMT program, which adds even greater depth, is finished in two semesters.
The college also offers multiple options for nursing education. If you’re new to nursing, you can complete a certificate in three semesters or earn an associate degree. If you’re already a working nurse, the college offers an online RN-to-BSN program so you can get your bachelor’s degree right at FRCC.
