Pennsylvania College of Technology students are gaining hands-on experience responding to mock emergencies and high-stress situations through a new training simulator that also is providing unique learning opportunities for community members and elected officials.

The Multiple Interactive Learning Objectives Range is the only 300-degree simulator at a Pennsylvania college and one of just three such training systems in the state. The other two are in use at the Pennsylvania Safe Schools Institute and the Allentown Police Department.

The purchase of the simulator system was supported by the Pellegrino family.

“When Will (Schlosser, assistant professor of emergency management and homeland security) explained the MILO software and the power of such a unique and complex system, I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of this to help the college, but, more importantly, the students and the future of our country,” said Frank G. Pellegrino, a Williamsport-area business leader and philanthropist.

The simulator uses full-surround video to create a variety of scenarios, ranging from active shooter situations and de-escalation efforts to press conferences and target shooting with prop guns.

Housed on the second floor of the Hager Lifelong Education Center, the simulator is being used by emergency management & homeland security students to build confidence in decision making, enhance their de-escalation skills, recognize agitated behavior and assess disaster impact areas.

“The MILO system has been extremely impactful in the few short months that we have had it,” Schlosser said. “The tool was immediately impactful to every student in our program through exercises in most of our courses.”

Students in the program go on to careers as emergency management coordinators and specialists, emergency planners, public health and healthcare preparedness workers, and private sector consultants. The curriculum addresses topics like incident command system operations, crisis communication, geospatial information systems, bioterrorism and disaster recovery.

The program also provides students with opportunities to put their training into practice by organizing major events throughout the four-year program.

This year, nearly 400 K-12 students visited campus for the college’s fourth Rotorfest, an event that gives students the opportunity to interact with emergency response professionals and tour vehicles used during crisis situations. Those included the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s Black Hawk helicopter, local ambulances and fire trucks, and Geisinger’s Life Flight No. 4.

A mock crash event drew about 300 students from the Lycoming Career and Technology Center in Hughesville. The exercise depicted a head-on collision caused by an impaired driver and included Penn College Police, the Lycoming County coroner, various fire departments, funeral directors and Susquehanna Regional Emergency Medical Services.

The simulated event focused on the dangers of impaired and unsafe driving while providing students with a realistic look at the sights and sounds of a tragic emergency situation.

The MILO system adds another dimension to that hands-on experience, allowing students to work through some of the emotions associated with emergency and disaster relief situations.

“The key that separates out this tool is that it is adaptable to each student and how they interact with the scenario,” Schlosser said. “Whether it is talking with someone in a mental health crisis or viewing a disaster from the air in surround video, it provides a uniquely hands-on simulation to critical incidents.”

“The system has helped students build confidence by allowing them to review their performance, identify areas for improvement and refine their responses in a safe learning environment,” said Barb F. DiMarco, assistant dean for arts & sciences.

MILO also creates learning opportunities for programs such as human services & restorative justice, nursing and other health sciences, while also supporting collaboration with local police departments, law enforcement agencies, industry partners and legislators.

“Students have even gained experience developing their own simulation scenarios, making MILO a powerful tool for experiential learning, workforce readiness and community engagement,” DiMarco added.

That community engagement was on display in February when a group of state legislators visited the college to learn more about the emergency management & homeland security program and explore the MILO system.

While on campus, the legislators were briefed on a mock emergency unfolding on campus. They traveled to a mobile command post and then to the Penn College Emergency Operations Center, where they were able to ask questions in preparation for their time in the crisis simulation lab for a mock press conference.

The exercise challenged the elected officials to use crisis-response skills to remain calm, steady, reassuring and on point.

“This provided a very unique learning opportunity for our students to interact with elected officials that most emergency managers don’t get until they are involved in a critical incident,” Schlosser said.

For Pellegrino, supporting the simulator was an opportunity to give back to the college and region that have had a lasting impact on him and his family.

When he returned to the area, he said, he felt compelled to contribute to a place that had shaped him and to help the region continue to grow and prosper.

“The MILO Range software system does this – it protects the current generation and empowers the next,” Pellegrino said. “The impact that it had on students during my watchful demonstrations opened my eyes to how life-changing and impactful the system is. Even when I tried the system, it compelled me to better understand society's response to many of the tragic occurrences across our globe. The applicability of this system, in my mind, is endless.”

Kyle A. Smith, vice president for college relations, said the college is honored to have Pellegrino’s support to bring the project to fruition.

“Our students and community partners now have access to this incredible training tool because of Frank and his family's generosity to the college, our students and our region,” he said.

Pellegrino added that he is impressed with Pennsylvania College of Technology, its graduates and students, and the college’s impact on the region. 

"Penn College is building a stronger region for all of us and hopefully, with this small gift, can help to encourage others (and) educate many to address the challenges locally and across the United States," he said. "I felt it would be an amazing and impactful project."