Faculty and staff from across Coastal Alabama Community College's southwest Alabama campuses gathered April 25 in Atmore to launch a college-wide Emergency Response Crisis Team aimed at strengthening on-campus emergency preparedness.

The all-day training session, hosted at the college's new Nursing and Conference & Education Center, brought together campus directors and hand-selected personnel to take part in hands-on crisis response instruction led by Coastal Alabama's own healthcare professionals from the Nursing and Allied Health Division.

"These are educators, not first responders, but they love people and they love their communities, and this provides a sense of security to our employees and our students that we're going to try our best to keep them safe and do all that we can," said Dr. Aaron Milner, president of Coastal Alabama Community College. "When they lay their heads on their pillows at night, they will know they have done their best to be prepared for whatever may come."

Participants received in-depth instruction in lifesaving techniques, including CPR, Stop the Bleed trauma care and the M.A.R.C.H. protocol, which addresses massive hemorrhage, airway, respirations, circulation and head injury or hypothermia.

Each campus team left with Emergency Response Bags stocked with supplies tailored for a wide range of potential incidents. The kits, assembled by healthcare faculty, serve as a practical companion to the training participants received in Atmore.

The initiative marks the start of an ongoing effort. The April session represented the first in a planned series of annual cohorts designed to eventually equip every campus in the Coastal Alabama system with trained staff and resources to bolster response efforts until professional first responders arrive.

"I couldn't be more proud of the work of our simulation team, led by Dr. Carman Godfrey and Dr. Tiffany Scarborough, the Dean of Allied Health," Milner said. "Everyone's dedication today, and every day, demonstrates their commitment to Coastal Alabama Community College and I'll put our folks up against anybody in that regard."

The training reflects the college's broader mission to expand its impact beyond academics and into the health and safety of its surrounding communities, many of which face challenges related to limited medical access or rapid population growth.

"We're able to provide those workers and make sure we're benefiting from a general health maintenance and still able to assist whenever a crisis occurs within those communities," Milner said. "Days like today illustrate our commitment to one another, and to them."