The University of Pennsylvania’s student-run volunteer Medical Emergency Response Team, MERT, will conduct a mass casualty incident field training exercise on Sunday, Nov. 20 at the Pennovation Works site, from 10 a.m. to noon.

In cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania Division of Public Safety, Penn Fire and Emergency Services, Penn Police Department and the Philadelphia Fire Department, nearly 60 student MERT emergency medical technicians will use the training opportunity to strengthen their skills, and to test the University’s mass casualty plan. 

The training scene will test the MERT response to set up, emergency medical services command, triage, treatment and transport of patients. 

Other volunteers will serve as actors and will be made up to simulate specific injuries to ensure a realistic training opportunity for the MERT emergency medical technicians.

“The annual Mass Casualty Incident Field Training Exercise is an essential component of MERT’s training program,” said Brett Bell, the disaster response team officer at MERT. “Designed to ensure that our EMTs are always prepared to respond to any major incident in University City, this exercise ensures that MERT serves as a force multiplier, supplementing the Philadelphia Fire Department’s response in the event of an actual emergency.”

Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team is a Pennsylvania Department of Health licensed emergency medical services basic life support quick response service which responds to calls for emergency medical assistance on bicycles in the areas between 30th St. and 43rd St. and from Baltimore Ave. to Market St. during the academic year when dispatched by Penn’s Police Department.

“Penn Public Safety is proud to participate in the Mass Casualty Exercise with the Philadelphia Fire Department and Penn MERT,” said Maureen Rush, the vice president for Public Safety and superintendent of the Penn Police Department. “The professionalism and commitment to life safety demonstrated by Penn MERT is a great testimony to the University.”