First Responder Training Hosted by Mercy Health | Grand Rapids Event Photography
My first reaction about photographing a joint training that Mercy Health Saint Mary's and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital for first responders was excitement. Mercy Health Saint Mary's is always a pleasure to work with and I had not been inside the new Mary Free Bed Hospital since their remodel in 2015.
Little did I know I would be photographing simulations that included wounds that were so real they bled, skin and muscle suits that mimicked real world trauma and simulations that included multiple victims and the chance to see first responders at their best. That created a situation that called for more tact of what to photograph and what not to photograph.
The joint first-responder training session for local EMS providers was held with 6 different simulations — including U.S. Army medics, area EMS and members of the Grand Rapids Police Department Bomb Squad. Attendees received valuable insight and immediate intervention tools they can use in a trauma situations.
Events like these make it possible for local EMS workers to improve their skills in several areas in a single evening. If you would like to attend future training or find out what Mercy Health Saint Mary's is doing for EMS workers, be sure to reach out to Amy Calvert, EMS and Injury Prevention Coordinator at Mercy Health Saint Mary's.