Media Make-up students assist Emergency Services with more vital anti-terrorism training
The skills of York College University Centre’s degree-level Media Make-up, Special Effects and Hair Design students have once more been enlisted to add visual realism to a terrorism attack training exercise.
Abi Horton, Grace Butterfield and Jessica Liddle created simulated wounds to help depict a scene akin to the immediate aftermath of a bomb going off on a train at York Railway Station.
The North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, paramedics and Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were then able to gain valuable experience in how to respond when faced with such high-pressured, traumatic and devastating scenarios.
Our students’ participation – two months after taking part in a similar event at Leeds Railway Station also organised by York College Media Make-up tutor Emma Dobson – further demonstrated the department’s growing reputation as a Northern hub for supporting the Emergency Services in their provision of vital training opportunities for staff.
Emma supervised the students during the latest exercise at the station’s Rail Operations Centre, which specifically saw the frontline workers deal with a mocked-up situation where a terrorist had left a bomb on a train, disembarked and then detonated it.
On the success of the exercise, Emma said: "I am extremely proud of the students with both this simulation and the one they completed at Leeds Railway Station back in September.
"It can be hugely under-rated the amount of work and effort that goes into these training activities for all involved, but also how extremely important it is that these training activities take place for the Emergency Services as well as for our students to be able to learn. They have demonstrated excellent skills within their injury simulations and this is invaluable work experience for them.’
Rob Goodman, of North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, applauded the “absolutely brilliant work” carried out by Abi, Grace and Jessica, adding: “Everyone commented on the accuracy of the blast injuries and the exercise went really well. It was a really useful training experience for everyone involved on the day.”
To learn more about our BA (Hons) Media Make-up, Special Effects and Hair Design course, please click here
The degree is part of our York School of Art offering. For full details on all courses, please visit here
You can also gain full information about all of our courses and meet tutors at the next York College & University Centre Open Event on Monday 10th February (5.30pm-8pm). Register a place here
