CDP to be featured in report about use of moulage in training

The CDP’s use of moulage will be featured in an upcoming article on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website about the use of moulage in emergency training.

Following is the information the CDP supplied for the report:

How long has the Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) been using moulage? 

            More than 10 years.

Why does the CDP use moulage? 

            Moulage helps the CDP create realistic, immersive disaster training scenarios to challenge students. With moulage, the CDP is able to simulate injuries first responders and first receivers will encounter in emergency and disaster response.

            The CDP uses moulage on both manikins and CDP role players portraying disaster survivors.

What kinds of wounds do you simulate with moulage, and what types of incidents do you simulate?

            The CDP simulates a wide range of physical reactions and injuries, from teary eyes, runny noses, and vomiting to burns, lacerations, gunshot wounds, and amputations.

            The CDP uses moulage to simulate injuries common in a variety of mass casualty incidents, from natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornados and fires to manmade disasters such as explosions, mass shootings and the release of hazardous materials.

Describe the scale of the exercises in which you use moulage – how many simulated patients are involved and how many moulage artists are required? 

            The CDP has the ability to simulate all types of emergencies, from routine incidents to catastrophic events.

            During a four-hour, full-scale exercise, CDP students can expect to see approximately 130 ‘victims.’ That can be scaled up to 250 ‘victims,’ based upon the objective of the particular training.

            The moulage in these exercises is typically applied by a team of two to four artists. 

Can you share some of the tricks of the trade?  

            Everyday food products – oatmeal, coffee grounds, chocolate syrup and grits – are often used to help simulate injuries. Building materials such as glass, wood and metal rods are used in the creation of blast wounds. Antacids are used to imitate foaming at the mouth and for various types of chest wounds.

Additional information?

            The moulage the CDP uses is created in house. A team of artists replicates wounds by mixing silicone and pouring it into molds and, when the silicone has dried, painting and applying the silicone to manikins or CDP role-playing actors.