A.W. Beattie Career Center to acquire classroom ambulance simulator, thanks to $85,000 infusion from state

The A.W. Beattie Career Center soon will have a “true-to-life” ambulance simulator in one of its classrooms.

The school, a technical high school open to students in nine North Hills school districts, was among dozens of institutions awarded with competitive equipment grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Beattie received $85,000.

Lee Silnutzer, who runs the school’s Emergency Response Technology program, said the money will go toward a life-size ambulance box with lights, sirens and “all the bells and whistles” he can add.

The simulator will allow students to learn in “more life-like conditions,” he said. The ambulance box, he said, also will be equipped with cameras so Silnutzer and other students can observe as participants train.

Beattie’s Emergency Response Technology program allows students to obtain EMT certifications in high school and also trains students preparing for careers in law enforcement and firefighting.

Within the simulator, students will be able to train with an advanced dummy that can mimic certain respiratory and heart patterns as well as some health conditions, Silnutzer said.

Working as an EMT since 1991, Silnutzer said he has tried to offer students more “live-action scenarios” since he began teaching at the career center three years ago. Though the simulator will not be exactly the same, he said it will give students “as much of an expectation as they possibly can” about what to anticipate in the field.

“By having a lab in here, we have the opportunity to give them that confidence because they can actually work inside of the environment they’ll be in,” Silnutzer said.

He said he is still waiting on final approval from the school’s Joint Operating Committee, but he plans to order a SimRig from DiaMedical USA, a Michigan-based company.

Beattie’s executive director, Eric Heasley, said he is “very pleased” that the career center was awarded the grant. The simulator will be a “huge benefit to the students,” he said.

It will take four to five months before the simulator will be fully installed, likely making it available for students next school year, Heasley said.

In addition to the simulator, Heasley said the school intends to use the grant for a DXTTR — colloquially known as a “Dexter” — a dental X-ray trainer for Beattie’s dental program.

State Reps. Jeremy Shaffer and Arvind Venkat issued statements lauding the award.

Venkat, a McCandless Democrat, represents District 30 where Beattie is located. He said the grant will help high school students “chart their own course.”

“Pursuing a traditional college degree is not always the goal for young people, as many wish to serve their community by joining the ranks of emergency services or pursuing a trade,” Venkat said. “A.W. Beattie does tremendous work in helping to prepare high school students for these types of careers, and these monies will bolster their efforts to give students a more accurate example of the skills needed to succeed.”

Shaffer, a Republican from Pine who serves nearby District 28, said he was grateful for the investment.

“Building a strong region starts with providing our young people with educational opportunities,” he said.