Students To Hold Disaster drill Wednesday In Lawrence

img_8432
img_8432

It’ll be a busy day Wednesday at the Van Buren Technology Center as students from all over the region simulate a disaster. Law enforcement instructor Matt Whitman tells us they’ve been doing this for 17 years now. The kids play the roles of police, firefighters, and EMTs, while the cosmetology students make up the victims. Whitman tells WSJM News the disaster could be anything, but it’s often based on real life situations.

“After the Boston Marathon bombing, we did the Lawrence Marathon bombing where we had a race set up and bombs go off and there were terrorists in the area,” Whitman said. “So, we had a component for law enforcement, fire, and EMT.”

Real life first responders will be on hand to assist and make the disaster look more authentic. Whitman tells us the students don’t know in advance exactly what type of disaster it will be. The drills take place at 8:45 a.m. and 12:40 p.m.