Above and below, students and emergency services personnel work through a variety of scenarios during Northwest's annual Missouri Hope disaster response field training exercise at MOERA. (Northwest Missouri State University photos)

Sept. 23, 2018

Volunteers needed for annual emergency response field training

Related links

• View images of Missouri Hope through the years
• View a video recapping Missouri Hope 2016

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Northwest Missouri State University will host its sixth annual emergency response field training exercise Oct. 4-7 and invites students, community members, and local and state responders to work in volunteer roles during the exercise.

The Missouri Hope-Atlantica 2018 Disaster Response Field Training Exercise, an intensive four-day international relief training exercise that is required for students studying majors or minors in emergency disaster management (EDM), takes place at Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area (MOERA) and the Mozingo Youth Camp.

More than 600 volunteers of all ages are needed Oct. 5-6 to play the roles of victims and spontaneous volunteer community members as well as apply moulage and assist behind-the-scenes. Individuals interested in volunteering should register online at https://goo.gl/forms/FUk7BFENQGKF3Klg1 by midnight on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Missouri Hope is sponsored each fall by Northwest’s Consortium for Humanitarian Service and Education, and this year’s scenario will simulate an international response for humanitarian relief.

Partner agencies include Maryville Public Safety, Nodaway and Buchanan County Emergency Management, Nodaway County Ambulance District, LifeFlight and LifeNet Air Ambulances, SEMA Region H Marine Hazmat Team, the 1-129th Field Artillery Battalion Missouri Army National Guard and the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri National Guard. The exercise also attracts students from colleges and universities throughout the country.

Participation in the hands-on disaster response training is available to all Northwest students, regardless of major or minor. Students do not need to receive academic credit to participate, but credit may be earned by any student who desires it.

The domestic disaster response exercise challenges students to overcome fears and hone skills as emergency responders. Students work together with teams in mass casualty situations and water rescue operations.

Participants are expected to attend the entire exercise and assigned to disaster response teams with rotating leader and follower roles.

MOERA is a 320-acre parcel of land at Mozingo Lake Recreation Area, located east of Maryville on Highway 46. MOERA is operated by Northwest’s School of Health Science and Wellness and provides a variety of outdoor education and recreation opportunities, including a challenge course, trap shooting and archery, canoes and kayaks, and outdoor research areas.

For more information about volunteering as a role player, contact Dr. Peter Adam at padam@nwmissouri.edu. For other information about Missouri Hope-Atlantica 2018 or Northwest’s emergency and disaster management program, contact John Carr at jcarr@nwmissouri.edu or click here.