Palm Beach State hosts first EMS competition
Professional emergency medical services teams from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties competed today in Palm Beach State College’s first EMS Panther Challenge, held at the Public Safety Training Center on the Lake Worth campus. The teams’ knowledge and skills in advanced life support were put to the test in dynamic, realistic medical scenarios that involved human patient simulators (wireless, computerized mannequins) and people portraying patients.
Nine professional teams competed, including Palm Beach Gardens, Delray Beach and Boca Raton Fire Rescue departments, as well as teams from Broward Sheriff’s Office, Miramar, Margate and Metro Dade. Margate Fire Rescue won first place, team “A” from Metro Dade Fire Rescue won second, and team “A” from Miramar Fire Rescue won third.
Students from the Florida Medical Training Institute also participated and won. Palm Beach State’s EMT and paramedic students performed the customary test run of the scenarios prior to the competition. EMS competitions give students the opportunity to use their knowledge and decision-making abilities in real-life scenarios, while measuring their skills against professionals and other students.
“It went very well,” said Everette Vaughan, director of EMS programs at Palm Beach State. “Many said it was one of the best and most difficult competitions they had ever been to, and some of these teams have been competing for years. We plan to do it again next year.”
Here are photos from the competition:
