Centennial College’s Morningside campus is set to transform into a high-intensity disaster zone on Wednesday for the annual “mock disaster” event.

The mock disaster is a large-scale simulation that allows paramedic, nursing, firefighting and police foundations students the opportunity to test their skills in a real-life environment. Now in its 20th year, the event has incorporated various scenarios such as roofs falling, bus crashes and more over the years.

This year, students will be responding to an extreme heat wave and tornado. Between 300 and 700 people are expected to take part, some of them in full makeup to appear as victims.

“Professional police officers from various Toronto police stations, firefighters from fire stations in Toronto and paramedics from nearby paramedic agencies come to Centennial College for this event and mentor our students who are acting in the role of a professional from the program they are enrolled in,” said lead organizer Rita Morehouse, Centennial’s associate dean for emergency management and public safety.

The college informs Toronto Emergency Services that the event is taking place. They also put up a sign letting people know the activity is just a simulation so the public is not confused, Morehouse said.

“It has happened in the past that people driving by the campus saw an ambulance and  fire truck parked out front of the entrance and thought that there was an emergency,” she explained.

As part of the event, the early childhood education (ECE) program will be helping students learn how to deal with children and parents during disasters.

“What would the staff do? How will we go about locating the children? What are the next steps with that? So the challenge right there is you’re throwing a bunch of hurdles, not just evacuating children,” said Melinda Truong, a professor with the ECE program.

She described how crucial it is to understand that dealing with children is different from adults — such as their sensitivity to loud noises. 

“It’s just getting children prepared, and it’s all about practice, all about discussion, talking to them, ‘Okay, today we’re going to be practicing, if there’s a loud noise or if there’s a fire drill, just don’t be scared.’”

Michael Wood, program co-ordinator of Centennial’s pre-service firefighter program and a professional firefighter, talked about the challenges faced by students in his program during the mock disaster.

“So the challenge that firefighters face is, No. 1, when you have a mass casualty event, all your resources are taxed, they’re used up. So people have to perform in multiple roles, roles in succession at the same time, like just a constant change of what your role is,” he said.

Professional firefighters will help guide the students as events unfold, Wood added.

“There could be many other things going on, other hazards, other dangers that could be going on around them. So we will say, ‘Hey, you need to pay attention to what’s going on over here.’ So we’ll make sure that they’re aware of that, because it’s all a learning opportunity.” 

Overall, the preparations for the mock disaster are intense, with Centennial College collaborating with different departments, and real professional first responders acting as mentors. In recent years, there has also been interest from mainstream media.

Morehouse’s enthusiasm for the event is clear.

“My passion for this event is fed by the social outcomes and impact the mock disaster exercises have on students and their future,” she said.