Shattered Dreams - Prom night wake up call

Here in my part of the country (Northeast Oklahoma), every year at prom time our local fire department, EMS agency, and police department do a presentation at the high schools called "Shattered Dreams." It's put on at the schools through the SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) programs. It is a mock drunk driving MVA set up in the parking lot of the school. All the students gather around outside and watch while the emergency crews "respond." It is a complete mock up with the exception of actual patients. There is usually a DOA played by a student from the school (the "funeral" follows that afternoon) and all the other patients and the drunk driver are from the school also. The police arrest the driver, the EMS treat and transport the patients, and the fire department extricate and help with treatment. It is a great tool for the school to show what happens when you drink and drive and the emergency personnel get great inter-agency training with mass casualty incidents.

My question is, does anywhere else in the nation do this type of program? I'm sure it does because I know this didn't originate in my area, but I'm curious who else does this.

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Permalink Reply by T.J. on January 19, 2009 at 1:20pm

Yes we do it to, we come in lights and sirens and show them just what its like if it was real.

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Permalink Reply by Capt.Alex Arnold on January 19, 2009 at 1:22pm

Yes, that is a great program. It actually started here in my neck of the woods many moons ago. It started in Canada but was refined and defined in Spokane Washington and was created by the then Sheriff. If I remember correctly It is called "Every 15 minutes..." It is a great program and can have a definite influence on students. The "Every 15 minutes" program is actually a 2 day event that is really involved and detailed. Here is the good ole Wiki link to tell you more about it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_15_Minutes
Be safe and learn something new today.

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Permalink Reply by Corey Hite on January 19, 2009 at 2:10pm

My department does it every year before homecoming. it is a full mock car wreck with the exception of extrication. they wont let us cut due to the fact that we have live patients that arent hurt. it was too much liability. we landed lifeguard in the football field and simulated flying them out.

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Permalink Reply by Trainer on January 19, 2009 at 2:34pm

Operation prom night and it’s done every 3 years, and includes 3 years of students. I’ve been in on 4. We do cut, well pop a door anyways, we go only as far as the victim leaving in the hearse.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Montpetit on January 19, 2009 at 5:01pm

We do this as well....we even go so far as to have the County Coronor there with a hearse and put the DOA in a body bag (Not zipped up of course) and as we are doing this a recording of a poem plays on our PA system (I think it is called "I went To a Party") It is the voice of the girl playing the part of the DOA...The State Police are there and arrest the person driving the other car for DWI and take them away in cuffs...All during the "Call" we have a member narrate what is happening and what we are doing and why over the PA.....It usually goes over quite well....In my opinion it is worth doing even if you reach only one student....it just make a difference to that student and save a young life.....Stay safe and always Keep the Faith.....Paul

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Permalink Reply by Jonathan on January 19, 2009 at 6:37pm

I remember it happening at my highschool one time, I think it was my freshman year. I don't recall it ever happening again though. I remember back when I was in elementary school our local FD used to bring an engine and a chief-truck which hauled their "smoke house" and we would get to tour the Engine and go through their little mock-house that was filled with smoke. This was all done after they explained to us about stop-drop-and roll and other fire safety things. The sad thing is though, I can only remember this happening like one time when I was in school. I guess the local FD just didn't have time to do it every year for every school. Anyway, just my little journey down memory lane, boy that was such a long time ago.

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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on January 19, 2009 at 6:56pm

There's variations of it here in Australia as well...

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Permalink Reply by Kimberly A Bownas on January 19, 2009 at 7:07pm

we also do it here with our local school. It is a good program and next year when we do it again we are going to get with the school to really plan it out much better then in the past. In other years it has worked very well, this past year it didn't seem to make a difference. We had kids hooting and hollering when we were extricating our training dummy. It was truly a little depressing to think these kids weren't taking it seriously. We then had the opportunity to talk to the student body while waiting for the PD to come and talk to the students. It was pretty good. This is a good program that the schools put on, especially when it is well choreographed.