NATCHEZ — A fellow named Charlie has selflessly donated his time has a virtual guinea pig so Natchez area emergency personnel can be at the top of their game.

Charlie will be poked and prodded, bandaged and wrapped. And he’ll even deal with the consequences of a biological weapons attack.

Some of the remedies applied can even kill Charlie.

But Charlie does not mind. He’s is a dummy. Or, he’s a human patient simulator.

And he has a price tag of around $200,000.

In an effort to keep Natchez on the cutting edge of preparedness local first responders are attending a seminar to ready them for almost any disaster.

The three-day seminar titled, WMD Operation and Planning for Emergency Medical Services, is being greatly bolstered by Charlie.

For some time now Charlie has been working without rest to provide the best training possible.

Students in the class practice all types of first aid to a myriad of aliments Charlie displays.

The seminar is paid for by a grant provided by the Department of Homeland Security.

Charlie is so advanced that he can shed tears, breathe heavily and even urinate.

“He’s pretty state of the art,” said Kathy Wall an associate training specialist with Texas Engineering Extension Service.

Texas Engineering Extension Service, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a skilled workforce to enhance public safety.

Charlie can be programmed to mimic a very healthy 22-year-old male, or an elderly patient with congestive heart failure.

And while Charlie is certainly a sight to see with pupils that actually respond to light, he serves a much higher purpose.

“This gives students an opportunity to fail without consequences,” Wall said.

As treatment is provided it is read via computer in real time.

“They have a chance to treat him, right or wrong,” Wall said. “They get a chance to immediately see how their treatments impact him.”

But no matter what tools the students are using the experience is what counts.

“I have not had much training like this before,” said Tracey Tait a Natchez area emergency medical technician said.

“We need to know how to react if any thing like this (major disaster) should ever happen here.”

While Natchez might not be the most obvious target for weapons of mass destruction Natchez Fire Marshall Aaron Wesley thinks the training is a great idea.

“Any city can be a target as long as they have people,” Wesley said.

The Texas-based group was brought to Natchez by George Souderes, director of Civil Defense for Adams County.

“This class deals with a lot of what ifs,” Souderes said.

“We want to be able to deal with the medical problems that may arise from any disaster.”

“The medical response is different from that of fire and police.”

This week’s seminar will culminate on Thursday evening. Members from the police and fire department will be in attendance. Local EMTs and members of the sheriff’s office will also be participating in the event.