Amputees in Action bringing a real level of authenticity to Combat Trauma Innovation 2012
18th January 2012
Amputees in Action – the first agency to promote the services of amputees with real acting skills for amputee casualty simulation
Combat Trauma Innovation 2012 – the market leading trauma conference aimed at the military and civilian medical care community
Amputees in Action Ltd are delighted to be exhibiting at Combat Trauma Innovation 2012 from 18th to 19th January.
Making full use of dramatic effects and make-up, the Amputees in Action team will be giving four 10 minute demonstrations on the first day of the conference, showing just how effectively they can add a heightened level of realism to the training of troops preparing for combat and emergency services personnel dealing with civilian incidents. The first agency to promote the services of amputees with real acting skills, Amputees in Action add a shock factor to simulations designed for all aspects of military and medical training, creating a level of authenticity that leaves trainees far better prepared to deal with real life situations. And save lives.
The original inspiration for the agency came when John Pickup, now the Managing Director, met other amputees whilst filming for ‘Saving Private Ryan’. John and the film’s stunt crew saw the real potential in using amputees to add a new level of realism. After working on several more high profile movies, and meeting up with the same individuals, John turned the fledgling idea into reality and launched Amputees in Action Ltd in 2004.
The agency began working in the defence sector in 2005 when John first realised what a huge contribution his actors could make to military training exercises by simulating the horrific injuries caused by the detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) – a very real and prevalent threat in Afghanistan both then and now.
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With the aid of prosthetics and false blood, Amputees in Action’s expert team of special effects make-up artists create shockingly realistic wounds to make actors appear to have severed limbs and injuries prevalent to current injuries sustained in current conflicts. These battlefield scenarios offer a realistic and challenging environment in which personnel can practice responding to casualties under pressure.
As John says: “Nobody can ever be fully prepared for the first-time shock of encountering the horrific injuries that an IED can cause. But we can go a long way towards simulating that reality. And appearing at Combat Trauma Innovation 2012 will give us the perfect opportunity to demonstrate it. Some of what we do might appear to be a bit gruesome, but we know from the feedback we get that it really can help to save soldiers’ lives.”
Combat Trauma Innovation 2012 will see Europe’s largest gathering of military and civilian emergency healthcare practitioners and, thanks to an unrivalled line-up of speakers, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to and learn from the leading innovators within the trauma care arena. With themes ranging from training and simulation and managing mass casualty events through to point of injury care
and medical evacuation, the conference will deliver a unique and powerful tool to educate stakeholders in lessons identified from the world’s war zones and from natural disasters.
The last 10 years of overseas operations by the military have seen an enormous increase in injuries from traditional and non-traditional means, including traumatic blast injuries caused by IED strikes. Combat Trauma Innovation 2012 will provide both military and civilian healthcare professionals with the chance to keep up to date with the latest techniques, procedures and equipment available to treat wounded colleagues and injured members of the public. By combining military and civilian experiences in one forum, the conference has created an outstanding opportunity for practitioners to get together and share the latest innovations in procedures, technology and capabilities.
In an environment such as this, Amputees in Action want to be there to help.
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For more information please contact:
Amputees in Action Press Office: Singleton PR
+44 (0)844 822 1658
+44(0)7739 461 061
info@singletonpr.com
For more information on Amputees in Action: www.amputeesinaction.co.uk
For more information on Combat Trauma Innovation 2012: www.combat-trauma-innovation.com