By Tom Flanigan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-974972.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Emergency Medical teams from the Tallahassee Fire Department were working with a powerful new training tool Thursday. Tom Flanigan reports the crews were trying to save the lives of programmable robots.
The toxic chemical victim is in bad shape. But the EMS team is working quickly and expertly to stabilize the victim.EMS Battalion Chief Bill Eckwall says the "victim" in this case is a life-size metal and plastic manikin, stuffed with sophisticated electronics.
"The manikin back there is about $100,000 manikin. It can cough; it can do different changes in its breathing. It can sweat; just all these different diagnostic signs that we look for."
Chief Eckwall says that makes for a truly realistic and sometimes scary training experience. The adult and child-sized manikins were provided by Emergency Medicine Learning and Resource Center in a fully-equipped mobile simulation lab.