West Potomac Academy students took part in a live emergency simulation on Apr. 15, gaining hands-on experience as first responders during a mock crisis scenario at West Potomac High School.
The exercise aimed to give students practical skills needed for careers as dispatchers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and law enforcement officers. Participants responded to a staged 5K charity run where an accident led to multiple injuries and crowd disturbances.
Academy Administrator Jamie Carfang said, “It is a great way for our students to really immerse themselves in what it’s like to be these professionals. To be able to take what they learn in our classroom and then apply it out here is invaluable.”
Students from the 911 Dispatch course handled simulated emergency calls inside a real mobile dispatch center provided by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Aniya, a senior in the class, described the experience: “It was really chaotic… The calls were going in fast, so we prioritized the most urgent calls.” EMT student Annabelle added, “You walk in, and people are screaming… You just have to keep calm and help as many people as you can.” John, another EMT student, said solving supply shortages required teamwork: “We were pretty quickly able to identify each other and say, ‘Hey, you, I need this and that.’”
Criminal Justice students worked with police officers from local agencies to manage crowds portrayed by teachers. MaKiya, one of those students, said managing spectators was challenging: “Getting [the spectators] to listen to me was the hardest thing ever… but these are things that police officers deal with on a day-to-day basis.” Redic Morris from Fairfax County Department of Public Safety Communications emphasized cooperation among agencies: “We try to bring in as many partners as we can to show the interoperability between them…” Maria Kappel of West Potomac Academy noted career mentoring opportunities: “They sit with the students… talk about their career path… give them tips and advice.”
Some participants have already used connections made through these exercises for future employment. Lily, who completed last year’s 911 Dispatch class at West Potomac Academy said she accepted an internship which led directly into her job with Fairfax DPSC: “They launched an internship for the first time last summer. I decided to take it, and now I have a job out of it.”
Programs like this are part of Fairfax County Public Schools’ Career and Technical Education offerings designed to prepare students for real-world jobs across various fields.
