Consequences of DUI is driven home to La Cañada High students

On April 24 La Cañada High School students were witness to a horrific accident that took place in front of their school on Oak Grove Drive. The fact that this collision was staged for the Every 15 Minutes program did not affect the realism as emergency services responded and cries of “oh no” echoed down the street.

Students watched as members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, California Highway Patrol, Schaeffer’s Ambulance and the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office went through emergency procedures as teens lay bleeding inside cars and on the street.

The Every 15 Minutes program began in the United States in 1995 with a purpose to bring a reality to the consequences of drinking and driving. It requires many hours of preparation and volunteers who are dedicated to helping educate students. The last time the school participated in the program was two years ago, with the help and guidance from then city public safety director David Stegner.

Sundar Ramani, vice chairman for the La Cañada Flintridge Public Safety Commission, said the commission felt the program was important enough to continue, but since Stegner was no longer around to spearhead it, they needed help.

“I first contacted the city of Burbank because I knew they had done it in the past,” Ramani said. “I met with the city manager and the police and looked into what they could do to help us. It was then that [CHP] Officer Todd Workman and Glendale Police Officer Bill Torley showed up and things really started to come together.”

Torley and Workman guided the same program recently at Crescenta Valley High School. The cost of the LCHS Every 15 Minutes program was covered by a grant from the CHP and donations from local businesses. The city and school district played vital roles in organizing the event.

A group of about 20 students were chosen as the “living dead,” representing young lives lost in drinking and driving accidents. Beginning with the first class of the day, in several classes a student’s name was announced as a fatality, with the “Grim Reaper” entering the classroom and taking the student out as a deputy sheriff read details of the event that led to that teen’s death.