Hagerman participates in vehicle accident training

Last month, the Hagerman Fire Department and South Country Ambulance participated in a motor vehicle accident training exercise. Motor vehicle accidents are amongst the leading cause of death and injury every year in our country, which makes it imperative for agencies to stay on top of training for these types of calls.

The scenario for this training cycle was a dispatch to both agencies in which they’d be responding to a two-car accident on the eastbound side of Sunrise Highway. South Country Ambulance, under the command of chief Brett Nangle and Lt. Rachel Sikora, were the first responding units to arrive on the scene. Hagerman Fire Department, under the command of chief Nicole Pannhurst and assistant chief Corey Citarella, then arrived, initiating the start of the exercise.

The officers immediately identified multiple patients that were found occupying both vehicles. Hagerman Fire Department went to work stabilizing the vehicles, with crews led by Lt. Frank Fassman and Lt. Aaron Allen, to make them safe for the crews to enter and for the patients to exit. EMTs Anna LaSorsa and Alec Scheiner both took the lead tech position on each vehicle for patient care. Once the vehicles were stabilized, South Country’s crews were able to safely enter and begin tending to their patients, while Hagerman FD worked on the removal of doors and a vehicle roof.

Upon completion, both agencies held an "After Action Review" of the exercise. The feedback regarding the training cycle from both agencies’ participants, including ex-chief of Hagerman Fire Department Thomas Dunham who was utilized as a live patient to provide feedback and safety monitoring, was very positive.