Volunteers needed for annual emergency response training

A volunteer is made up to resemble a person with injuries sustained during a natural disaster while participating in Northwest's 2024 Missouri Hope simulation. The University is again accepting volunteers to participate in this year's event. (Photo by Lilly Cook/Northwest Missouri State University)

Northwest Missouri State University will host its annual Missouri Hope emergency response field training exercise Oct. 9-12 and invites students, employees and community members to volunteer as actors during the experience.

The event takes place at the Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area (MOERA) and Mozingo Youth Camp, helping students from Northwest and other regions of the country receive practical training on how to handle natural disasters and prepare for careers in emergency management.

Role players will be made up to look like victims with injuries sustained during natural disasters - such as flooding, a forest fire or a tornado - to bring a sense of reality to the exercise. Individuals interested in volunteering should click this link and register by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7.

"Students like to volunteer because a lot of them are headed for medical sciences, so that gives them practical experience," said Dr. Peter Adam, an assistant professor of biology who serves as a volunteer coordinator for Missouri Hope. "But it's also just exposure to a disaster, what things might be like. It's also good for the general public to see what goes on, and it's also a lot of fun."

Missouri Hope is required for students studying majors or minors in emergency and disaster management, although students of any major are welcome to participate. The event will include approximately 12 distinct training exercises for students and workers in the medical field, police forces, fire brigades and armed forces. They will practice search-and-rescue, assessment and treatment of traumatic injuries in the field, evacuation from difficult terrain and emergency housing operations.

Missouri Hope is sponsored by Northwest's Consortium for Humanitarian Service and Education. The program partners with agencies, including Maryville Public Safety, Nodaway and Buchanan County Emergency Management, Nodaway County Ambulance District, LifeFlight and LifeNet Air Ambulances, SEMA Region H Marine Hazmat Team, and the 1-129th Field Artillery Battalion Missouri Army National Guard.

For more information about Missouri Hope and volunteering as a role player, contact Peter Adam at  [email protected] or Travis Surprise at [email protected].