Senior Prom

[JAMESBENNETT]

We are considering having a program at the local high school a couple of days before Prom night. We though if maybe we could give them something to think about before going hog wild, at least some of them would slow down and be careful. I think I have heard some discussion in the forums about others that either are doing this or have done this and I would appreciate any input as to what you are doing or have done in the past. We have gotten a couple of cars and will cut them up after we beat them up with a back-hoe for dynamics, but do you have a seminar with them first or do you have some graphic photo's to show or what.

------------------
SERVING FOR PRIDE
PROUD TO SERVE!

[SCCARESCUE]

Just cutting a car up in front of students doesn't help the prevention process. All you have proven is that some qualified help will be around when its needed. You need a program before your demonstration. That program must contain the bulk of your efforts!

There are several ways to get your program going. Showing graphic pictures doesn't get it done. It makes for oohs and aahs, but that is it. You need to get the students attention and keep it. While you have it, you have to teach them. Not an easy thing to accomplish.
I have done these sorts of programs thru the MADD program for a few years. I team up with a lady from MADD and we tell our stories. She talks about how a drunk driver killed her daughter, a high school senior. I tell about my experiences as a rescuer over the past 28 years. I also talk a lot about the physics involved in a crash. I cover areas of grief, peer pressure, "cool parties", etc. We feel that we have had a positive impact on the students around this end of the state. We get great feedback from the kids and their parents. That means that the kids are going home and telling their parents what they heard from us. Something that doesn't happen most days....

Check out the MADD.org website and get with your local chapter.

Good luck!!

------------------
Dan Martelle

[Bikefire]

We just did this last spring. We didn't have that much input on this. The head Trauma nurse at a local hospital ran the whole thing. I don't know what else they did with the students, but we were only one part of this whole thing.

We were asked to put some pre-cuts in the cars the day before and try to make it look real the next day. They had actors in the cars and we basically followed a script. We used E-6(rescue), E-7, 2 ALS units and a helicopter, to fly two students out of the football stadium.

The actors played the parts of: drunk students, distressed parents and a Grim Reaper!

The police officers had microphones on them, as well as microphones in the car so the students in the stands could here all we were saying on the PA system. The videotape was edited and shown to the student body, I believe.

It was quite a production. The actors were great, and worked well with us. It was a real hit. After we were done and cleaned up, the kids were allowed to come down to the cars, and get a closer look at what we did, and the equipment we used. The students and teachers were really impressed. Great PR!

Things I didn't like. Actors were in cars. (non-emergency personnel) A tarp, put on the grass to keep glass and oil off the football field. It was a real tripping hazard. They also had two cameramen video tapping our every move, often in our way trying to get close ups. I guess if you want to make it look real, you have to go at least that far. I hope it had the impact on the students they wanted.

I got pics, I don't know if they would be any help.

Bikefire

[JAMESBENNETT]

Thanks for the in-put. I am just getting started putting this program together and your ideals will help.

------------------
SERVING FOR PRIDE
PROUD TO SERVE!

[ccsr12]

We were ask to do a part in a movie that one of the SADD groups put together. The movie lasted for about 30 to 35 minutes. There are pictures of it on your web site, (http://welcome.to/ccsr) If it is not there let me know and I will e-mail or post some of them here. Anyway, they was going to show the movie on the day of prom, but the school board told them that they could not. So we have a movie with no place to show it. Make sure and ask the schools if you can show it.
They had a local TV station do the shooting and editing for them. I think they also do it for free, free PR you know. I hope this helps in some way.

[HYTHE FIRE DEPARTMENT]

Our department participates in the “Party Program” in our area. The program is done 6 times a year for area grade nine students (13-16 year olds). Each program is a daylong. Our participation is only in the morning when we do a trauma drama. What happens is a busload of the kids arrives at the community center to find a car accident in the parking lot with three of their own fellow students either trapped inside or walking around all bloody. We proceed to use the tools and extricate the two-trapped patients. One is dead, so we cover with a blanket and move out of the way. The other is in critical condition, and EMS works hard on them until they eventually die in the back of the ambulance.

Afterwards, the kids are moved into the community center. There, each kid is designated with a handicap or permanent disability that can result from a car accident. The kids have to spend the rest of the day with this disability. Thus, if you are blind, you must spend the rest of the day with a blind fold on. If you are a quad, you must spend the rest of the day in a wheel chair with your arms tied down.

Once each kid has been outfitted with their disability, (I think there are 25 separate disabilities they use), there are several presentations to be made before lunch. The presentations are from the police, ambulance service and the funeral home, relating stories of drinking and driving.

At lunch, all kids must continue to remain in character with their disability. Thus if they are a quad, some one must feed them. If they are blind, they must make do without seeing. If they have lost an arm, they can only use the other arm, and so on. After lunch, they are given more simple tasks to perform with their disability to grasp what it would be like to be disabled after a crash.

The last presentation is from an individual who was drinking and driving when he was 16, and got into an accident. He killed two of his friends in the vehicle, and is confined to a wheel chair himself with little motor control of his arms and hands. This presentation is the icing on the cake. They are all more understanding of what it is like to have a disability as a result of the last 4 hours, but this presentation drives the point home. That point being that not only will you be hurt, most likely your friends will die.

It is a very successful program that really hits home. We only play a small part in the program, but it is a crucial part to set up the rest of the day.

[ElmerA]

We put together a scenerio every 4 years just before Fall Homecoming. This past one, we put two vehicles in front of the bleachers, with victims, then we bring all the high school students into the "Scene". As soon as the last student sits down, the first pager goes off over the PA.

The story goes, one group was coming from the party, the other going to the party. They meet head on, with fatalities.

We have envolved all services that would respond and bring them "On Scene" as time would make it happen, all the time with victims screaming, pagers going off, etc..

We treat the whole thing as real, no faking, no prepping, just like it really happens. We discuss ahead of time each persons role, but have an IC who assigns duties as personnel and equipment arrive. The last to leave is the Funeral Home.

We added a twist to ours in that the "Dead" students spend the rest of the day walking around school with "painted grey faces". They cannot talk or respond to any student. The next day (Friday) is the same, but there is a coffin at the school's main entrance for each "dead" student.

I must say that it has a very emotional impact on each of the students and I know of several who have changed their outlook on life because of what we did.

All of our picture taking and video taping was done out of site and out of mind of the actual operation.

To see what we did, I put together a slide show on our web site http://www.rescue70.org

Elmer Anderson, NREMT
Mountain Ambulance Service http://www.rescue70.org

[firstin]

Our dept. has also put on a crash senario every year for the juniors at the local high school. We only do this for the juniors due to class sizes. We first place two cars to appear to be in a head on collision. Students from their own class are used for victims with the full realm of makeup to appeared injured.

An actual dispatch is played over the loud speaker to simulate a page. All radio transmissions are then broadcasted thru the PA system. A full extrication response is given including a helicopter. Various Students are DOA on scene and others are transported all while extrication is going on. The driver of one car is then arrested on the spot for drunk driving and taken away in the police car.

We have been given excellant feed back from both the staff and students of the high school. We try to keep it as real as possible and the radio transmissions seem to emphasize this. Unfortunitly we still have the drinking and driving realated accidents in our community, but hopfully we are getting thru to a few students the dangers of driving intoxicated.

[mark/cvarc]

We did a program where we staged an accident involving DUI with a fatality. All victims were students and each was made up graphicly. The whole scene was covered as the entire high school filed into the stadium bleachers, then uncovered and run as realistcally as possible.As the accident was investigated and a driver was arrested there was some narration of what was taking place. The students then witnessed the arraignment and later on in the year, the trial of the driver using real prosecuters and judge. It made quite an impression on the students.

[F52 Westside]

Our dept. does not do that kind of demo. The Saline F.D. does though every year (I think every year?). They do an actual demo, that shows the whole nine yards. Including bringing in a Helo for transport. I have not had the chance to see it, but I here it is been a success.Here is there webpage address http://www.salinefire.com/ . They might be of help for your program just e-mail them.


------------------
Eddie C. - a.k.a - PTFD21
Local 3008
"Doin' it for lives n' property"

[Fireboy422]

I'm 19 years old, and a rookie on the local FD, so basically I'm right out of High school. Our school did a week of "Drunk Driving education" where PSA's were shown for a period of time one day, a poem was read over the schools PA another day, exc... We also did a thing where a student dressed as the Grim Reaper came into random classrooms and removed students, the students faces were painted, then returned to class, the couldn't interact with anyone in anyway, it was later revealed the students were dead as a result of a drunk driving accident. This was thought of as a good idea by the adults, but the students saw it as a big joke, and did everything in their power to get interaction out of the "dead" students, mostly by playing pranks. It was not well received or taken seriously.

I know it is very difficult to set up this type of presentation, but it is important. The main thing you must remember is that you need to present the reality. You must consider the students as adults, no matter how they act. You must find the right blend of the "ohhs and ahhs" and as real as possible demos. I hate to feed off the suffering of others, but if you can find a surviving victim of a DUI crash, see if they are willing to help you out. They might not be willing to do a speech, but they are the best source of reality you have.

In short, good luck, you are faced with a very difficult task, but a very important one, it could change a life forever.

Just remember, no effort in this matter is ever made in vein, you never know who you can touch, but you need to try to get something that will hit the most students.

If I can be of any help to you, as a young person, who's been there, suffered through boring DD presentations, let me know.

FF D. Betka

[Capt. Clay]

James, I would suggest contacting the San Marcos Fire Department. They have been putting on a presentation for the last few years concerning this issue. The whole thing is called "Shattered Dreams" and is a two day event. The first day involves the student body witnessing the wreck from the time of the first arriving engine on, including the makeup and transport, extrication,etc.. Through out the same day, someone dressed as the Grim Reaper removes a student from class every fifteen minutes showing how often a person dies from DWI. The student is out of school for the rest of the day and put with the rest of the "victims" to reflect on what is going on. The victims spend the night secluded from everyone, including their parents, and write down their thoughts on the subject. Their parents, in turn, do the same as if their children were taken from them. The next day at a school assembly, some of the "victims" and parents stories are read to the student body.
I personally haven't witnessed this program, but this year I am trying to participate in it since my dept. surrounds the city and we see a lot of the wrecks. It is supposed to happen March 7-8, I believe, and sounds like something worth checking out. Hope this helps.

------------------
Be safe, have fun!
Captain Clay Rheinlander
South Hays Fire & Rescue
LEATHER FOREVER!!

[JAMESBENNETT]

Thank everyone for your input. This project is very near and dear to so many and we hope to drive home the importance of DUI accidents'.

Fireboy442 thank you for your feedback. Young adults are very hard to get though to and this is one of the things that will be the most difficult to overcome with the presentation. As it maybe we do have at least 4 people that I can think of off the top of my head that we could ask. If I need any advice for you I will send you an e-mail. Thank for you time and thoughts. It is always' nice in this day and age to see a young man interested in the service!

Capt. Clay thank you for your post. I will try to get in touch with the people in San Marcos and get over there to see their presentation.

Sorry that I don't have time to say thank you to everyone individually, but to:
Sccarescue,Bikefire,ccsr12,HYTHE FIRE DEPARTMENT,ElmerA,Rirstin,Mark/cvarc, and F52 Westside. THANK YOU ALL!!

------------------
SERVING FOR PRIDE
PROUD TO SERVE!

[firenresq77]

This is a very good cause and you should be commended for doing this. It can be time-consuming, but it is worth it. Our department has been doing it for probably the last ten years. Started of every 2 yrs, then the one principal only wanted once every 3-4, but now back to every 2. We have usually 4 students who are our "victims" and we have them placed in the car, covered by a tarp on the football field. Then the kids come out and the accident happens. Everything is done in real time and we get anyone and everyone who would be involved there to play a part. You can email me if you have some questions and I will try to get you some information. [email protected]
Good luck with it.

[MetalMedic]

Firenresq77, after doing this for 10 years, have you been able to establish the effectiveness of such a program? Have you had a reduction in high school age kids being involved in DWI and/or high speed crashes since the program began? This age group is a tough nut to crack sometimes. I wonder if you are actually getting throgh to them, or is the presentation just an excuse to get out of class for a good part of the day?



------------------
Richard Nester
Orrville (OH) Fire Dept.