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WAUKESHA - A
coalition of respondents is prepared to handle the threat of
terrorism in the Pewaukee School District.
The group can
control the chaos which could result if the Pewaukee High School
cafeteria should become a target of an enraged faction of
militant students urging for more tater tots.
The readied
ensemble knows how to distinguish the walking wounded from
deceased and will take vigilant notes for the firefighters,
police officers and ambulance drivers who are on their way.
They’ll even
splint some broken bones and patch up gushing wounds, if there’s
time.
"I have a lot
more experience with disasters," said Kay Gedeit, a senior at
Pewaukee High School. "I know what to do if something happens
and there is no one else that is trained around."
The Pewaukee
School District sent four students to the Responding to
Emergencies and Disasters with Youth camp, held July 18 through
July 22 at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, as part of the
school district’s effort to be better prepared for an emergency.
Four students
from grades seven through 12 received training in
cardiopulmonary resuscitation, automated external defibrillator
use, triage and basic first aid at the R.E.A.D.Y. camp.
During the
training, students practiced finding victims in a pitch-black
room, extinguishing small fires and marking victims as either
needing delayed attention, identifying the walking wounded,
needing immediate attention or being deceased.
"Tagging the
people was really difficult," said Abby Wetzel, an
eighth-grader. "We had to press their fingernails and count how
many seconds it took for it to turn back to normal. If it took
more than two seconds they were dead."
The four
students also practiced team-building and leadership techniques.
Both skills will help students in a emergency situation.
"Communication
and listening is very important during an emergency," Gedeit
said. "In an emergency it’s important everyone is heard so the
best thing is done."
The Wisconsin
Office of Justice Assistance, a division of the Department of
Homeland Security, paid for the four students to go.
Pewaukee
coordinator of nursing services Karen Smith said the camp’s
mission reflects the time.
"I just think
in the time we live in it’s so important," Smith said. "Knowing
what to do and having previous training is huge for all of us."
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As
part of the Responding to Emergencies and Disasters
with Youth camp, the Pewaukee School District was
given $500 to spend on emergency preparedness.
Here’s a list of what four students who attended the
camp thought the district should buy:
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automated external defibrillators for every school
*
memorial for a recent car crash
*
advertising for a health fair
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insert student emergency response team training into
the normal curriculum
*
signs to make kids aware around campus
*
bring in speakers to talk about their personal
experiences with disaster
Source: Pewaukee School District students |
Lawrence Silver can be reached at
lsilver@conleynet.com. |
