By Ani Martinez
The Miami Herald

MIAMI — As a mother and her two children crossed the street Tuesday morning, a sport utility vehicle suddenly struck the children when the man behind the wheel suffered a stroke.

As the mother frantically called for help, she tried to help her children. But the young boy was unconscious and the girl couldn't feel her legs. Paramedics rushed to the scene to treat the victims.

The traumatic scene was strikingly familiar. Fortunately, this time, it wasn't real.

Teams of paramedics were given an emergency medical situation to push their skills and test their knowledge. Each team of three paramedics was told they must stabilize the victims in less than 15 minutes.

Paramedics representing six fire-rescue departments from across Broward met Tuesday at the Mardi Gras Casino in Hallandale Beach for the 12th annual First There, First Care EMS Conference.

NATIONAL TOURNEY

The winners of the conference will go on to compete in July in the national tournament in Orlando.

"It's a good way for them to flex their muscles and see what they can do," said Joel Gordon, one of the event's organizers. "By walking into an unknown scenario they are training for the real thing."

The situation was not real, but paramedics take it very seriously. Robert Shields stood at the simulation as his fellow Hallandale Beach paramedics placed the IV into one of the children and checked for more injuries on another child.

'BEST TREATMENT'

"This is how it really is. Everything happens at once and there are many distractions," Shields, 47, said. "We have to help the patients as much as possible within 10 minutes. After that, they should be in the hospital getting the best treatment."

Shields said that although technology has improved tremendously, every situation is as stressful.

"At a training, we really do what we would normally do out there," Shields said. "We do our best to save someone or help someone."

Copyright 2008 The Miami Herald