Every 15 Minutes

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"Every 15 Minutes" is a national program being used by high schools, fire departments and law enforcement agencies to teach teenagers and their parents about the grim realities and consequences of underage drinking and driving under the influence.

The two day program consists of a school assembly where firefighters, police officers, students and parents simulate a car accident caused by a drunk driver.  Students play the part of kids who were drinking and were involved in a crash.  Some of the victims are deceased and others are critically injured.  During the mock DUI presentation, high school Juniors and Seniors watch first responders extricate and treat injured victims and pronounce others dead.  Parents of the deceased are at the scene to identify their children, and students watch as the drunk driver undergoes a field sobriety test, is arrested and arraigned.  The students who participate in the exercise are realistically made-up to look as though they have received serious injuries.

Ramona High School in California recently held their first "Every 15 Minutes" presentation.  School administrators spent approximately eight months working with the Ramona Fire Department, CAL FIre San Diego, and the California Highway Patrol to plan the event, which was funded by a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety.   The school kept the assembly a secret from the general student body, selecting leaders from several school groups to participate in the accident simulation.

California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Brian Pennings explains, "We're going to change these kids lives, and we'll get to get the best bang for the buck.  We will get the best mileage out of our efforts if we change the leaders because the next time a decision needs to be made, I would hope that the leaders would make the right decisions and then the rest of their friends will follow them."

The program is called "Every 15 Minutes" because approximately every fifteen minutes a student dies in a drunk driving accident.  To illustrate the significance of this statistic, throughout the day a police officer and a participant dressed as the "Grim Reaper" visit classrooms and remove students, leaving behind an obituary describing the accident in which they died and a yellow rose.  Their parents are also sent a letter notifying them of their child's "death".  The students and parents are reunited the next day at an emotional school assembly.

The nightmare of DUI-related deaths is a reality in Ramona.  According to Captain Bob Bowden of the Ramona Fire Department, two former Ramona High School students recently perished in a DUI accident.  Bowden describes the difficulty he and his fellow firefighters had in preparing for the "Every 15 Minutes" event, saying, "We sat at the station and tried to watch some of the other "15 Minute" programs on YouTube, and we ended up having tears in our eyes."

Students who participated in and witnessed the demonstration were moved by what they saw.  Spaso Ilich, who played a student "victim" in the accident, says, "It's pretty intense.  It makes you realize a lot about not drinking and driving.  It makes you realize you don't want to do it."  Ilich feels that a good portion of the students at Ramona High School will be positively affected by this, but says that there will still be some who will not heed the program's message.

Officer Pennings, who has worked with several high schools over the years, has seen many positive things come from "Every 15 Minutes".  He says, "We did a program about ten years ago, and they've seen me at a restaurant or something.  They say, 'Officer Pennings, you don't remember me, but I went to such-and-such high school.  I was going down a very bad road, and this program that we did changed my life. I'm a nurse.  I have three kids.  I'm married, and I'm very happy.  And it's because of "Every 15 Minutes".'"

For more information about "Every 15 Minutes", including how your fire department, law enforcement agency or school district can participate and available grants, visit www.every15minutes.com.

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Author:Deanne Goodman - FDNNTV.com