DuPage students get hands-on training at mock accident scene

High school students studying to become emergency medical technicians at the Technology Center of DuPage got some hands-on training Tuesday during an automobile crash drill at the Addison school.

The students, working alongside Addison firefighters, responded to a mock crash involving two vehicles. The firefighters used the Jaws of Life to remove the roofs of both vehicles during the drill to reveal six people, five with mock injuries and one who would be pronounced "dead" at the scene.

Students performed triage and worked to stabilize the injured victims, placing them on stretchers and transferring one to a Lifestar helicopter where the crew also was participating in the drill.

The students were in charge of the scene, with school staff members and professional emergency officials on hand to observe and provide guidance when needed.

Greg Leston, the coordinator of the fire science-EMT program, is a retired firefighter/paramedic who served eight years with the Addison Fire Department and six years as a member of a Lifestar crew.

"I am proud of these guys," he said. "They worked hard all year."

Students participating in the fire science-EMT program can earn 10 college credits for each year they participate in the training available to high school juniors and seniors. Many of the students will go on to earn their EMT license and attend paramedic school.

Students from the school's criminal justice program also participated in the drill, portraying police officers responding to the scene and consoling grieving parents. Students from TCD's cosmetology program helped create realistic wounds on the victims of the two-vehicle car crash.

To learn more about the Technology Center of DuPage, visit tcdupage.org.