At Renton Regional Fire Authority we value our strong partnership with the Renton School District. Whether it’s visiting elementary classrooms to teach beginner fire safety, giving the middle schoolers an opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a firefighter through the combat challenge, or working with other local agencies to provide life-saving screenings to those in high school, we recognize that these students are our future. They’re our future community members, leaders, and firefighters.
We recently had the opportunity to rekindle a program that’s near and dear to our hearts as an organization, the Distracted Driving Drill. This drill is an impactful portrayal of the realistic events that can occur when someone chooses to drive while impaired or distracted. Student volunteers from the high school play the roles of the teenagers in these two scenarios and the drill begins right after the two vehicles in our storyline have crashed. Our firefighters treat this drill as a real incident. Vehicles are donated for this demonstration, and our volunteer actors are outfitted with moulage to demonstrate a real-life scene and injuries. Partner agencies participate to showcase mutual aid and underscore its importance. Students and teachers from the high school are then invited to watch as a narrator walks them through the scene. This drill usually happens before a major high school event – in this instance, homecoming.
On September 28th, we had the privilege of presenting this drill to the entire student body at Lindbergh High School. Between two sessions, a total of approximately 1,000 students watched as their peers, and Renton firefighters and partner agencies, did an exceptional job playing out this devastating and life-changing scenario. We were joined by the Renton Police Department, who demonstrated a realistic sobriety test and arrest on scene. We were also joined by King County Medic One, who demonstrated medical aid and transport in an advanced life support incident. Additional participating agencies included a member of the Renton CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) as well as members from the Puget Sound Fire Authority Community Risk Reduction Team. We would also like to recognize Bankers Towing Co. for providing discounted towing services to bring the donated vehicles to and from the scene. These collaborations and partnerships are essential to the execution of these important community safety events.
The Renton RFA crews who participated in the event included Engine and Aid Unit 317 (from Station 17), Battalion 313 (from Station 13), and Ladder Truck 311 (from Station 11). These firefighters showcased what it is like to experience a crash incident from start to finish. Engineer Derric Matteson served as the narrator of the drill, which opened with Aid Unit 317 and Battalion 313 arriving to the accident to size up the scene and begin triage. Battalion 313 then requested additional medics, while Engineer Matteson explained to the crowd that there are too many patients vs. the number of firefighters currently responding.
Engine 317, Ladder 311, and King County Medic One then arrived as requested to the scenario. The firefighters began the process of a realistic vehicle extraction, using a tool commonly known as the “Jaws of Life” to remove the entire top of the vehicle, safely extracting the injured patients. King County Medic One took over from there to provide the most injured patients in the scenario with advanced life support. Meanwhile, Renton PD also arrived on the scene to perform first a sobriety test on the impaired driver and ultimately an arrest.
As the crews cleared the scene, Engineer Matteson reviewed the valuable lessons to be taken away from this demonstration: “The ripple effect of this fatality car accident touches so many – from the impaired teenage driver, to the families involved, their friends, and even the firefighters and police officers who responded to this call. Don’t text while driving; put your phone out of reach and/or in do-not-disturb mode. Don’t use alcohol or drugs or accept a ride from someone who has. Always call a sober friend or family member, or a ride-share service like Uber, instead. Choose to say no and make a safe and informed decision as if your life depends on it, and always wear your seatbelt.”
Captain Nathan Blakeslee and Public Educator Sara Morris were instrumental in the organization and implementation of the entire drill. Facilities Technician Don Highley played a key role in setting up the scene. Firefighter Victoria Berg and Public Educator Ashlinn Phipps provided support throughout the event. And Local 864 supplied the portable sound system that allowed students to hear both the narrator and the interactions between crews and dispatch. We could not have executed such a fantastic day without the hard work and dedication of all the Renton RFA members who banded together to make this a phenomenal and memorable event for students.
Initial feedback from the drill was amazing. The students were well engaged, thanks in no small part to the excellent job their peers did throughout the demonstration. It is a proud moment for Renton to see the future of our community so invested in public safety. We are excited to receive as much feedback as possible about this event from students and faculty to use as we go forward and hold more drills throughout the school district in the future. Our thanks go out to all involved for making this such a great event for our community.
