MERI's EMS disaster training courses to be offered to paramedics and EMTs

The Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI) announced today the first of its EMS disaster training courses which will be offered to paramedics and EMTs throughout Memphis, Shelby County and its municipalities on December 17, 2009.

The full-day course will prepare participants in emergency medical techniques and procedures in disaster situations as they relate to treatment of injuries involving victims of a simulated office complex bombing. The course will focus on search and rescue and triage of victims during the disaster.

Disaster training aims to prepare EMS personnel for disaster situations by teaching the basics of disaster preparedness and treatment through hands-on training. MERI’s ability to combine anatomical donors and human patient simulators creates a unique hands-on learning experience for area paramedics and EMTs.

“We feel that this is invaluable training to Shelby County, and we hope that it will be beneficial to the community in disaster relief and preparedness,” Diana Kelly, MERI Manager Institutional Development, said.

The new EMS disaster training courses are available in part as a result of a matching grant given to the MERI by the Plough Foundation to train paramedics and EMTs in Memphis, Shelby County and its municipalities. Partnering with this effort is the Department of Homeland Security Metropolitan Medical Response System Program administered through the Memphis Division of Fire Services that is also aiding in funding the project. Simulation training at the MERI was made possible by a $1 million grant from the Assisi Foundation, which funded the space, human patient simulators and tools for the MERI Medical Simulation Center.