Harsh consequences for actions

John Dunn, (right), explains to Riley Gauchier how to hold his spoon without his fingers, a situation a disabled person might be in. The students had various disabilities to simulate in eating their food. Some found the process very difficult.

Mac Olsen
South Peace News

Getting into a mangled car wreck or ending up in the morgue because of drunk driving or overdosing on drugs are just some of the consequences that students learn about in the Preventing Alcohol Risk-Related Trama in Youth program. The PARTY program is not intended to scare youth. Rather, it’s to show them that these things could happen to them, and that they can make choices to reduce the risks. “We’re just educating them on the risks that could happen to them, and just saying that it’s their choice, but please be safe,” says Kristine Maurice. “We incorporate risk-related trauma, and really promote wearing safety gear such as seatbelts and helmets.” Maurice works for the AADAC in High Prairie. She and several people held the PARTY program for Grade 10 students from St. Andrew’s School at the High Prairie Health Complex on Nov. 6. Maurice notes that AADAC makes presentations on how alcohol can affect someone’s life in terms of family members and friends, and the personal losses suffered. The students toured various areas of the hospital, including the ambulance bay, the trauma room in the emergency ward, and the morgue. John McDermott and Kristofer Heemeryck, who work for fire and rescue, showed the students the Jaws of Life used in vehicle accidents. Heemeryck explained to the students that they must wear seatbelts even if the vehicle is equipped with airbags. He added that the airbags could cause skin burns because of the gunpowder used to activate them. He also showed them the other types of equipment found in the fire and rescue truck. Rick Ciezki, a paramedic, demonstrated the types of equipment used on someone who may have neck and/or spinal cord injuries from a vehicle accident. Ciezki put a neck brace on student Lisa Girard, and then he securely strapped her to a flat board, which included taping her head down. He said these straps are useful to restrain a drunk driver who is resisting medical attention. He also showed several devices used to maintain the injured person’s breathing. In Emergency, Registered Nurse Lori Zabolotniuk explained the types of life threatening situations the trauma team deals with, such as a drug overdose. She said the person’s stomach would be pumped to clear out the drug. She also described several drug overdoses she has deal with. Zabolotniuk adds that a drunk driver who kills someone, and who has to be treated in Emergency, does not get any sympathy from the staff for what they’ve done. Cst. Shawn Walker of the High Prairie RCMP attended the PARTY program meeting. He explained that the police have to talk to families as part of vehicle collision investigations, which includes the difficult circumstances arising from alcohol .He also showed the students a video about five teenagers who were killed in a vehicle accident, and the devastating affects this had on their family members and classmates. He adds that the morgue is meant to shock the students. “It’s kind of the shock factor, like ‘Wow, this is real.’ The message I left with them … is, ‘It’s not just your life that’s lost, but it’s the devastating impact that is on the immediate family and friends of you,’” says Const. Walker. John Dunn, the health promotion facilitator for Peace Country Health, took the students to the morgue. He explained that bodies are sent to Edmonton for autopsy. He showed the students the refrigeration room where the bodies are kept until ready for transport. Some of the students didn’t want to see the room and stepped outside. A body was in the morgue on the morning of Nov. 6, but the students were not allowed to see it, out of respect for the family. The students got to eat pizza at lunchtime, but they also received a lesson in the challenges that disabled people face in daily life. For instance, some students had their hand taped up to simulate the loss of a limb, and they had to find ways to eat under those circumstances. The students also watched a series of Australian commercials dealing with vehicle accidents and deaths. In one commercial, a driver is too tired and should not be driving. But his vehicle ends up in a lake, and his wife and two children drown. In another commercial, a driver is going too fast, but he insists that he knows the road well. However, his vehicle clips a truck coming from the opposite direction. His vehicle spins out of control and smashes against a tree. Two passengers are with him. Near the end of the day, the students put on goggles that simulate a state of intoxication and tried to walk along a straight line. Many of them found this very difficult to do. Riley Gauchier liked wearing the goggles, and he walked the line more than once. The biggest thing he takes away from the PARTY program is don’t get drunk. Caitlyn Anderson says she is more aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, and was surprised to learn from the Australian commercials about the types of accidents that can happen. “Don’t do drugs. Don’t drink and drive,” says Anderson. Lisa Girard found it easy to handle her food at lunchtime, having “lost” only an arm. She found the goggles to be the best part of the program, and said it wasn’t easy to maintain her balance. “It taught me a lot about drinking and driving, and never to do it,” says Girard.

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