Submitted by San Juan Island EMS

Every three years, San Juan Island Emergency Medical Services offers The Every 15 Minutes Program aimed at helping high school students resist the pressures to drink and drive in a real-life experience without the real-life risks.

The program takes place over the course of two days. A car crash will be simulated at 2 p.m., April 17 at San Juan Island High School track and field. Students will witness fire and EMS rescue and aid, an arrest by law enforcement, a court trial at the county courthouse, and finally a funeral the following morning. Spectators are invited to attend the crash at the high school, court trial, which as limited seating, and the funeral held at the San Juan Island Community Theatre at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 18.

This emotionally charged program is designed to dramatically instill teenagers with the potentially dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol, using marijuana or even texting when in control of a vehicle. This powerful program challenges students to think about drinking, personal safety and the responsibility of making mature decisions when lives are involved. Currently, the program is in its 14th year and this is the sixth crash event held on San Juan Island.

The Every 15 Minutes program is funded almost entirely through the donations of concerned citizens, grants and safety partners. The Every 15 Minutes program would like to give special thanks to this years donors: Mary See Foundation, Community Foundation, Women’s Fund, North Region EMS & Trauma, Roche Harbor Resort. To view previously recorded events held at the Friday Harbor High School, visit www.youtube.com and search “Every 15 Minutes San Juan Island.”