St. Louis emergency medical technicians (EMTs) continue to provide excellent pre-hospital care thanks to the St. Louis Fire Department’s new Simulation Center, a facility made possible by community support. This new SIM Center is designed to train first responders with practical, hands-on exercises that go beyond textbook learning.

"Together we are saving lives," says Rebecca Davis, executive director of The Lifesaving Foundation, with staff members from The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

The Lifesaving Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising support for the fire department’s special initiatives, began working on the SIM Center in 2013 with a leading donation from The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

“With the help of The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, The Lifesaving Foundation is bringing innovative training to each one of the first responders, which results in improved patient outcomes,” says Rebecca Davis, executive director of the Lifesaving Foundation. “Together, we are saving lives.”

Retaining skill proficiency is a particular challenge for EMTs. Studies show that EMTs lose 61 percent of base skill-proficiency within the first two years of training.  

According to Rebecca, the St. Louis Fire Department emergency medical services (EMS) responded to more than 50,000 emergencies in 2014 with only 12 medic units. Ongoing training offered at the SIM Center is essential for preparing EMTs to face any challenge they encounter during these calls, she says.  

During a recent open house, EMTs demonstrated high-tech training equipment and training scenarios at the SIM Center, including hands-only CPR, intubation, and a mass-casualty bombing scenario in which paramedics interacted with lifelike mannequins.

These mannequins—controlled remotely by training supervisors—are designed to mimic real medical scenarios and respond to an EMT by speaking, moaning and crying. They also simulate bodily functions like heart rate, blood pressure, bleeding, breathing, broken bones and shock.

Since SIM Center training started in early 2014, pre- and post-training assessments show an increase in skill-level and confidence among EMTs in managing difficult airways in both pediatrics and adult patients.