In the Texas Panhandle, disaster could strike at any moment. Fires could erupt or high winds could turn into a tornado. That’s why it’s important to always be prepared.

Students at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and Vet School participated in three disaster training scenarios to prepare them for what could happen out in the field.

“To have an opportunity like this, not many places you can go to where everybody will be working together. And to have the foresight looking forward to the unexpected events, this is one of the opportunities you can’t miss,” said vet student Colton Buttgen.

Students not only looking to hone their practical skills, but their leadership skills too.

“I think it will make me a leader of nurses wherever I work. I’m personally from Louisiana, so, we had to deal with Hurricane Katrina, and so when that happened a lot of nurses had to step up and be leaders of other nurses,” said nursing student Trent Duckworth, “Hopefully nothing like this happens, but if it does, that will make me prepared for it.”

This training has been happening out at the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock for the last two years, but after a wildfire threatened the Teas Tech Health Sciences Center in Amarillo, administrators saw it necessary to bring the simulation to Amarillo as well.

“We try to teach students around authentic learning environments. In 2018, there was a fire that came right up to the health sciences center,” said health sciences center Director of Interprofessional Education Renee Bogschutz, “So, we need students to understand that this is not make-believe, this is real life, of real ranchers and real families in the Amarillo community. So, we simulate disasters that have really happened here. so that they know, ‘Oh this is relevant to what we’re doing'”