Schools

Palm Desert Students to Simulate DUI Crash, Death

The 'Every 15 Minutes' program will be held Tuesday at Palm Desert High School.

More than 200 students are expected to take part Tuesday in an emergency drill to remind local students of the dangers of drinking and driving.

The program 'Every 15 Minutes' will be held beginning at 8 a.m., and is expected to last about three hours, according to the Riverisde County Fire Department, who is hosting the event along with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Forest Lawn Mortuary and the Coachella Valley Unified School District.

"The exercise is comprised of a scenario of a 'mock' traffic collision," according to Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department.  "First responders, including fire, paramedics and law enforcement will respond and conduct live communications to the spectators (high school students)."

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During the drill, fire officials will actually cut the "critically injured" student out of a vehicle, and a CHP helicopter will take them to Eisenhower Medical Center for "treatment."

There will be "fatalities" as well, as students witness some of their classmates die from the so-called DUI crash.

Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office will tend to the staged 'fatalities' and the California Highway Patrol helicopter will land, package and medi-vac the critical patient to Eisenhower Medical Center," Hagemann said.

This program is part of a national campaign that "offers real-life experience without the real-life risks."

"This program has been presented by public safety agencies to thousands of high school students nationally and provides valuable and realistic insight into the grim effects that alcohol have on high school students that drink and drive," Hagemann said.

This won't be the first time the high school  has participated in this event.  Read about how 2011's event went down here.


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