YONKERS, NY — November 5, 2026 — The emergency call was for a roof collapse at Gorton High School.  Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) students filed into a darkened room that echoed with shrill screams and the sounds of crumbling concrete and shattering glass.  The walking wounded roamed like zombies, while lifeless, blood-covered bodies littered the floor beneath toppled desks and chairs.  Although this was a simulated mass casualty incident involving a few dozen performers, the visceral response from students was real.

“It was chaotic,” said Gorton senior Leonardo Mercado.  “That was crazy.  I’ll be more prepared now.  I want to be on this path.”

Students had no inkling of what waited for them in the mock environment.  Their assignment was to respond to the emergency, assess each patient’s needs and triage the wounded.  The EMTs in training attached color-coded tags to each victim: green for minor injuries, yellow for patients who were seriously injured but stable, red for life-threatening injuries and black for patients who were not expected to survive.

Senior Rafay Malik said it was a shocking experience.  “I had to black-tag a boy in front of his father.  Even though it was pretend, it was upsetting and difficult.”

The cacophony of yelling and screaming was overwhelming.  As students attempted to triage the wounded, distraught parents interrupted them and demanded to know the whereabouts of their child.  The raw outbursts of emotion compounded the confusion and distracted students from tending to patients who cried out in pain.  Empress EMS instructor Jason Gomez says they strove to create a realistic scene.

“It’s hard to get a true experience,” Gomez said.  “This was a good representation of a mass casualty incident.  I hope the students understand that even if they prepare, sit through the lectures, read the book and do all of the proper training, it’s still going to be overwhelming treating multiple victims while bystanders get involved.”

Despite the jarring experience, Leonardo Mercado is undeterred.  “I love helping people,” he said.  “I want to protect people in my community and make the world a better place.”

The Gorton simulation was a warmup for an even more elaborate training exercise at the Westchester Fire Training Center in Valhalla.

“I’m ready for the next one,” Leonardo said.  “I’m learning to stay calm, even in hectic circumstances.”