The Every 15 Minutes Program was held May 12-13th 1998

Every 15 Minutes is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors which challenges them to think about drinking, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions when lives are involved. The program’s name was derived from the fact that every fifteen minutes someone in the United States dies in an alcohol related traffic collision.

The first day of our program will begin with a mock fatal DUI collision near the school grounds. The students are alerted to the fact that a collision has taken place by a pre-recorded 911 call played over the school public address system. The mock collision includes students portraying a trapped driver and passenger in the victim vehicle, a DUI driver and passenger in the second vehicle. The collision victims are made-up by a professional moulage artist. The collision is staged authentically and includes response by police, fire and ambulance crews. The trapped victims are extricated from the vehicle using the "Jaws of Life", pronounced dead at the scene, placed in body bags and transported to the morgue by the coroner. The students’ parents are notified of his/her death. The injured passenger is transported to the hospital by ambulance. Hospital personnel will work on the victim until pronounced brain dead. The parents will be notified of this and asked about organ donation. The "drunk" driver is given field sobriety tests by officers, handcuffed and transported to the police department for a simulated booking. The accident is watched by all juniors and seniors from the high school.

Every 15 Minutes throughout the remainder of the day the "Grim Reaper" visits classrooms. He walks silently into a classroom and calls out a students name and instructs them to "come with me." A uniformed officer then enters the classroom and reads the students obituary. The obituary is very realistic and includes such details as the cause of death, past accomplishments, future plans and surviving family members. The obituary includes a photograph of the "deceased" and is posted inside the classroom. The participating students are given T-shirts with an Every 15 Minutes logo designed by the school. They will not return to class for the remainder of the day.

Meanwhile, a prearranged mock death notification is made by uniformed officers to each students parent at their home or place of business. Each notification varies as to the cause of death and surrounding circumstances. Most parents are told they will need to identify the body and will be given information on organ donation. Even though all parents are aware of the details of the program and agree to the prearranged death notification and know it is pretend, the resulting emotions are tremendous. Chaplains and counselors will be available for both parents and students.

At the end of the day all participating students are led by the "Grim Reaper" through the school to board a bus. The bus, clearly marked with a banner bearing the Every 15 Minutes logo, transports students to a nearby camp for an overnight stay. The student’s absence from home that night is to further simulate that he/she is "gone." Upon arrival at the retreat the students are treated to dinner and chaperoned activities, such as a game of baseball between students and chaperones, basketball or even swimming. Evening activities will include interacting with police, State of California Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agents, medical personnel, and members of the community. Guest speakers at this time include the coroner describing DUI accident cases, responding to the scene, contacting parents and how that makes him feel. Another speaker will be a man that drove while intoxicated and was involved in an accident in which his best friend was killed. After listening to the speakers students write letters to their parents. Some students are able to say things to their parents they were never able to before. Students are asked if they would feel comfortable reading their letters to the student body and parents at the following days assembly. Chaperones will select letters to be read. Each letter begins "Dear Mom and Dad, Every 15 Minutes someone in the United States dies in an alcohol-related traffic collision…and today I died…I never got a chance to tell you…….."

The program concludes on the second day with a school assembly. As we live in a community with a number of Spanish speaking only parents arrangements have been made to translate the program through the use of headphones. The assembly begins with the showing of a music video. The video is compiled from footage of participating students over two to three weeks prior to the program as well as footage of the mock DUI accident. The video is followed by selected students reading their letters to Mom and Dad along with presentations by police, parents, medical personnel and school officials on the horrible consequences of poor decision making when alcohol is involved and how it impacts them personally. The intent of this program is to show the students that their decisions do not affect only themselves.

The assembly concludes with the last speaker calling forward actual survivors and victims of alcohol tragedies. The speaker continues to explain to the students how their decisions effect others, the police, medical personnel, fire personnel, personnel of the judicial system, community members and teachers. As each is named they slowly walk forward and stand silently facing the assembled students. This represents just how many people can be affected by a single decision. The speaker then concludes by saying "With your commitment to think about the impact that your decisions will have on others and with your commitment to do the right thing…you give the dreams that have died the power to live." Students are then told to join there parents. Letters are exchanged along with, hopefully, renewed commitments of love and respect.