Students, faculty trek to New York to learn emergency and disaster management skills

Pictured left to right while attending New York Hope in August are, in the front row, Dr. Lauren Leach-Steffens, Dr. Mark Corson, Richard Leach-Steffens, Tim Davis, Will Thornsberry, Cheyenne Martin, Kaelyn Simnitt, Will Roberts, Ewan Mills and Kelsie Krier. In the back row are Travis Surprise, Mackenzie Baker and Michael Meyers. (Submitted photo)

Northwest Missouri State University students and faculty learned a multitude of skills related to preparing for an emergency in August by participating in the annual New York Hope training exercise.

Taking place at the State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany, New York, college students and faculty from Northwest as well as Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Pennsylvania trained to handle search and rescue, needs assessments, the incident command system, radio and convoy operations, medical aid in austere settings, rescue operations, emergency services partner agency training, and disaster psychology and patient handoff simulations. 

Northwest students Cheyenne Martin, Ewan Mills, Michael Myers, Kaelyn Simnitt, Will Roberts and Will Thornsberry joined faculty members Travis Surprise and Dr. Lauren Leach-Steffens – along with alumni Mackenzie Baker, Tim Davis and Kelsie Krier and retired faculty member Dr. Mark Corson – for the training exercise and disaster simulation.

Simnitt, a junior emergency and disaster management major from Kansas City Missouri, attended New York Hope for the first time this year. She enjoyed practicing mass casualty and rescue operations most because it provided an opportunity for her to put skills she learned at Northwest into action. She also discovered areas in which she could improve.

“I definitely need to work on my teamwork skills,” she said. “But I think no matter what you go into, you’re going to learn something about yourself, whether this is the job you want to do or not, or if it’s just something that you personally need to work on.”

Myers, a junior emergency and disaster management major from Onaga, Kansas, learned skills that have helped him in everyday life, including how to deal with stressful situations and how to help others during disasters. 

Myers, who attended New York Hope for a second year, went as a staff member this year. By doing so, he acquired information about how the training exercise operates and gained a new perspective as a leader.

“The biggest takeaway is essentially taking that information that I learned from being a participant and sort of just paying it forward for future participants and future staff members who may be new,” he said.

New York Hope is sponsored by the Consortium for Humanitarian Service and Education, New York Police Department Task Force 2, and the New York State Preparedness Center. The Consortium for Humanitarian Service and Education annually sponsors Missouri Hope during the fall at Northwest.