(L-R) York Hospital Interim Chief Nursing Officer Charity Neal, Maine EMS for Children Program Manager Marc Minkler, and Wells EMS Director Jim Lapolla explain the state’s new virtual reality training program. Photo courtesy of Marc Minkler

The Bath fire and rescue department is one of four emergency medical service departments in the state that will participate in a pilot virtual reality training program to hone first responders’ skills in recognizing and treating severe illnesses in kids.

During the training, first responders wear virtual reality goggles that lead them through scenarios in which a child is in distress. It’s the medical professional’s job to assess the patient’s symptoms and determine what’s wrong by observing what’s in front of them and select the appropriate treatment. The virtual child’s condition, such as their coloring or respiratory rate, could change based on the paramedic’s assessment.

Bath Fire and Rescue Chief Lawrence Renaud said the program is a step above in-person training because the virtual children can mimic the symptoms of various health issues and respond to treatment whereas live children or mannequins couldn’t.

“This virtual reality simulates the appearance of the child and allows us to examine and assess them in ways we never could,” said Renaud. “It’s hard to train on real pediatrics because not many parents are willing to volunteer their children for us to train on. I think this is going to be the future and we’re very excited to be part of this process.”

Renaud said it also allows paramedics to train by experiencing realistic situations rather than sitting in a classroom or watching a video.

“Children cry, that’s their universal language, and paramedics have to stay calm in those high-stress situations,” said Renaud. “We don’t want to make someone else’s crisis our crisis. We want to improve any situation we walk into.”

York Hospital, Rockland Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, and Wells Emergency Medical Services are also participating in the pilot training program, offered by Maine Emergency Medical Services, a division of the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Jillian Sheltra, a Wells EMS paramedic, tries the virtual reality training program. Photo courtesy of Marc Minkler

Maine EMS developed the program through federal funding — making it free for the departments that choose to participate. Maine is also the first state in the nation to deploy emergency medical services training using virtual reality, according to Maine EMS Director Sam Hurley.

The training simulations focus on pediatric patients because emergency calls for children are so infrequent, meaning first responders can fall out of practice on how to respond when it counts.

Renaud estimated the department’s 12 paramedics and 12 advanced emergency medical service officers responded to about 2,500 calls in 2020, but fewer than five involved children.

Statewide, about 5% of emergency calls are for pediatric patients, meaning they’re considered “low frequency, high risk,” said Hurley.

“Statewide, about 10% of services didn’t see a pediatric patient at all last year,” said Maine EMS for Children Program Director Marc Minkler. “That leaves an entire year when a clinician didn’t assess a child. We want people to stay fresh so they’re ready to respond when a child needs help. No parent wants to hear ‘This is the first child I’ve treated in a while.’ Parents want someone who’s ready to offer their best care.”

When the Bath fire and rescue department does get pediatric calls, Renaud said they’re most commonly an allergic reaction to a bee sting, or a child mistakenly ingested chemicals or prescription medications.

Statewide, Minkler said the most common 911 calls for children stem from respiratory distress, seizures and “psychiatric calls,” which can be anything from anxiety to attempted suicide.

Renaud said the virtual training works especially well for Bath’s small personnel — high volume department, because it gives them flexibility to train when they can, respond to calls when needed, and resume training later.

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics in Bath will be evaluated by Maine EMS quarterly to evaluate whether the virtual reality training is improving a clinician’s ability to identify and manage critically ill pediatric patients, said Hurley.

While the training program only simulates pediatric patients now, Hurley said the department hopes to offer an adult version of the program within the next three months.