May 21, 2026
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In April 2026, more than 250 students from the Youngstown State University Bitonte College of Health and Human Services stepped into a high-pressure mass casualty simulation at the Canfield Fairgrounds, not as spectators, but as active participants in a large-scale training exercise designed to prepare future professionals for the realities of emergency response.
The simulation, centered around a bleacher collapse during a high school football game, brought together nearly 50 local and regional public safety and emergency response agencies and more than 350 participants overall. While no one was actually injured, the exercise created a realistic environment complete with emergency vehicles, active sirens, triage operations, communication challenges and emotional decision-making.
For BCHHS students, the experience offered something no classroom alone can replicate: the opportunity to apply their knowledge in real time while collaborating across disciplines under pressure.
Students from a wide range of programs participated in the exercise, taking on roles such as victims, nurses, parents, coaches, lab technicians, and emergency responders. To create a realistic training environment, participants were given minimal instructions and were asked to respond as they would in an actual mass casualty incident. The immersive scenario challenged students to think critically, communicate effectively, and adapt quickly as the situation evolved.
“This is really a great interdisciplinary opportunity for our students to learn,” said Morgan Bagley, YSU lead on the project and director of the Master of Athletic Training program. “We cannot be working as healthcare providers in a vacuum. We need to work with other healthcare professionals. So, it’s giving the students the opportunity to take care of these patients in critical condition as much as they’re trained to do.”
The mass casualty simulation was led in partnership with the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency and coordinated by Conner O’Halloran, a YSU graduate who earned both his associate and bachelor’s degrees, as well as paramedic training, through Youngstown State University.
Throughout the morning, students worked alongside first responders, emergency management personnel and healthcare professionals to simulate field triage, patient transport, hospital coordination and emergency communication procedures. The event also tested the county’s new mobile command post and highlighted the importance of coordinated communication systems during large-scale emergencies.
The training followed a structured schedule that included safety briefings, command post operations, live response phases, and immediate debrief discussions to evaluate successes and identify areas for improvement. Organizers emphasized that discovering communication gaps and operational challenges is one of the most valuable outcomes of exercises like this.
For BCHHS students, the mass casualty simulation reinforced the importance of teamwork and adaptability in healthcare and emergency response settings.
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