Northwest Missouri State University will host its annual Missouri Hope emergency response field training exercise October 7 – 9 and invites students, employees and community members to work in volunteer roles during the exercise.

Missouri Hope is a multidisciplinary mass casualty training experience at Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area (MOERA) and the Mozingo Youth Camp.

More than 600 volunteers of all ages are needed to play the roles of victims and bring a sense of reality to the training. Role players are made-up to resemble victims with an assortment of physical injuries sustained from natural disasters such as a flood, tornado or forest fire. Individuals interested in volunteering should register online by 11:59 pm, Tuesday, October 4, at forms.gle/1tgY9sZvTMsAhdrX6>.

“The volunteer role players gain experience by seeing how such an operation works and how things as varied as communications, medical training, boating experience, physical fitness, fire suppression and even chemistry play a role in rescue efforts,” Dr. Peter Adam, a Northwest assistant professor of biology who assists with the training experience, said.

Missouri Hope, which is required for students studying majors or minors in emergency and disaster management (EDM), includes 12 distinct training exercises for Northwest students as well as emergency personnel in medical, police, fire and armed forces. Exercises include search and rescue, assessment of traumatic injuries and evacuation from difficult terrains, such as cliffs and rivers.

The exercise each fall also attracts students from colleges and universities throughout the country.

For more information about Missouri Hope and volunteering as a role player, contact Adam at padam@nwmissouri.edu.