A mock road rage incident turned shooting was used Wednesday as a training exercise for students at the Pittsylvania Career and Technical Center. The students were assisted by Pittsylvania County Public Safety personnel, Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s deputies, 911 dispatchers and County fire and rescue volunteers.
The exercise was planned and coordinated by EMT Instructor JoAnn Lohr and Criminal Justice Instructor Caleb Farley.
The initial call to 911 indicated a routine response to a traffic accident, but the incident quickly began to expand when a mock shooter became part of the scene.
Criminal Justice students acted as law enforcement officers to secure the scene while other students served as crime scene investigators to gather information related to the shooting.
Pittsylvania County Public Safety Battalion Chief Matthew Abbott arrived on the scene and established Incident Command with EMS and Criminal Justice students. Students were assigned management roles to oversee the incident and maintain accountability for patients and crews working the scene.
Each student was assigned to an ambulance with certified crews and given a radio to communicate as they would in a real-life situation.
The event included 15 “patients” in the morning and 12 “patients” in the afternoon. Injuries varied from minor scrapes and bruises to critical conditions and a “deceased” individual. Several mock patients sustained gunshot wounds and critical injuries secondary to the motor vehicle accident.
The mock injured patients were transported to a classroom inside PCTC that served as the “hospital,” and that area was set up to mimic a real-life situation.
After each scenario, a PIA (Post Incident Analysis) was completed to offer constructive criticism to all involved and allow everyone to express what went well and what areas we can improve on.
Pittsylvania County’s volunteer fire and rescue community also served during this exercise, to include Chatham Rescue Squad, Chatham Fire Department, Gretna Fire and Rescue, Ringgold Fire and Rescue, Tunstall Fire and Rescue, Mount Hermon Fire and Rescue, Callands Fire and Rescue, Brosville Fire and Rescue and the Dry Fork Fire Department.