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Every 15 minutes, someone dies in this
country in an alcohol related traffic collision. This is a reality that
Cypress
Creek EMS, Harris County Sheriff’s Department and Ponderosa Fire Department
know only too well. An alarming number of these deaths are teens.
On April 20th, all three agencies teamed
up to bring the message that "DWI KILLS" to local teenagers at Westfield
High School. Deputy |
Anthony Lemon, Harris County Sheriff’s
Department District One Storefront, Kathie D. Coberly, R.N.,
nurse at Westfield High, and Claire Senglin, community health educator
for CCEMS, coordinated the effort which graphically demonstrated what can
happen when youngsters mix driving and alcohol.
"CCEMS and Klein
VFD previewed a program for the community last December, called "Every
15 Minutes," Senglin said, "which provided some of the format and content
for this effort with Westfield. This is a program we feel very strongly
about so, when Deputy Lemon called about staging something more than just
a presentation at Westfield, we enthusiastically joined in. In fact, we
decided to turn this into a drill for CCEMS staff and volunteers."
"Many times teenagers will make the decision
to take a drink during this time of year, maybe with their peers at the
Prom or at the beach," said Deputy Anthony Lemon. "At this time in their
lives, they are most easily influenced by those they think are friends.
They also tend to think that they are ‘grown up.’ Unfortunately," the law
officer continued, "they often find themselves in a situation where theyhave
no control, they make bad judgements, and all this combined results in
tragedy."
"We wanted to bring a strong cautionary
message to the kids at Westfield," said Kathie Coberly, R.N. "Word gets
around school when there are student problems, and drinking is no exception.
We wanted to provide some vivid reasons why drinking and driving don’t
mix. I am very impressed that our local agencies were willing to commit
so much time and effort to helping us get the message across."
CCEMS brought two ambulances -- staffed
with four medics per unit -- to the "accident scene." The CCEMS MCV1 (Mobile
Command Vehicle) also made the scene. In a real mass casualty situation,
the mobile command unit serves as a vital communication link between all
responding agencies.
The "mock tragedy" was staged to simulate
what can happen when a few drinks, young people and automobiles all converge.
The program forces teens to think about not only their own personal safety,
but that of those they care about, as well. It stresses the importance
of making mature decisions where people’s lives are involved.
"Every spring, thousands of young lives
are snuffed out on what they think is the most important night of their
lives," explained Claire Senglin. "Sadly enough, prom night -- in far too
many cases -- is the last night of their lives. One bad decision,
the youthful confidence that they are indestructible and invincible,
and -- with the screeching of tires and horrible collision of metal against
metal -- it’s over. The survivors’ lives are alsoinextricably changed forever
by the guilt of ‘what if?’ and perhaps by the grief of losing someone
they cared about so needlessly."
"We staged a three-car accident," explained
Deputy Lemon, "and we did it right in front of Westfield High. In vehicle
number one, we had three WHS baseball players on their way to a play-off
game. Vehicle number two was occupied by an ‘older couple’ coming from
a church event. The striking vehicle carried four Westfield teens on their
way to the Prom."
"The driver, who had been drinking all day,"
Lemon continued. "lost control and hit the other two cars, ‘killing’ two
of his passengers. The driver, as often happens, walked away uninjured."
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To make the simulation even more realistic,
CCEMS volunteers Carol Miller, David Almaguer and Charlie Hooks "moulaged"
the victims. Moulage is an art. It takes the skilled hands of medics who
have seen and experienced multiple trauma call in their careers to replicate
injuries so precisely. Carol also provided the victims with instructions
on how to act/behave with the injured they had "sustained." Without moulage,
even such dramatic scenes can lose their effectiveness. |
| "We responded just as we would to a real
traffic accident," Senglin said. "I’m sure that the sirens along with all
the emergency equipment and personnel added a sense of urgency to the scene.
For a lot of our volunteers, too, the staged accident was all too real. |
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Once you have ‘made’ an auto accident involving
young people, it makes an indelible impression. I think the exercise served
as a reminder for the adults who participated, as well."
Participating in the drill from CCEMS were
Jim
Jewell, Steve Tusing, Milo Sandburg, Mike Silvestre, Clayton Hall, David
Hainey, Gareth O’Brien, and Lloyd Young. Frank Marshall
coordinated the dispatchers and MCV1.
"From our perspective," said Westfield’s
school nurse, "the event was a success. Based on what I have heard from
the students, it did make an impression. In talking with the ones who played
roles in the reenactment, I know the exercise will make them have a second
thought before getting in a car when drinking has occurred. "
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"While they were waiting for help to arrive,"
she continued, "they told me they felt very alone. Their friends were either
‘hurt’ or ‘dead’ and their parents weren’t there to help, either. This
isolation, in itself, made an impression. It was very scary for them."
"Westfield’s prom was held on May 1st and
-- while we’ll never really know what impact the staged event had -- there
were no accidents or incidents. Our kids came through safely." Coberly
says she’s ready to repeat the success for next year’s seniors. |
"By then," Claire said, "we hope to be able
to implement the full "Every 15 Minutes" Program. This is the result we
were all hoping for." |