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Dangers of Drunk Driving Emphasized in Staged Crash <br />On Nov. 12, personnel from Eugene Springfield Fire, Eugene Police, Lane County Sheriff’s Office, Life Flight air ambulance, <br />and North Eugene High School staff and students, participated in the “Every 15 Minutes Program.” This program offers <br />real- life experience without the real-life risks. The <br />emotionally charged program is an event designed to <br />dramatically instill in teenagers the potentially <br />dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol and <br />texting while driving. <br /> <br /> <br />The powerful program challenges students to think <br />about drinking, texting while driving, personal safety, <br />and the responsibility of making mature decisions <br />when lives are involved. <br /> <br />The event involved a staged motor vehicle accident in <br />the parking lot of North Eugene High School involving <br />six students with realistic make-up to simulate injuries <br />as the result of a crash. One student “dies” in the <br />accident and four students are extricated from the <br />vehicle by firefighters. Three of the extricated students <br />Photo courtesy of Slava Foursa <br />are loaded into medic units and leave the scene “code <br />3” with lights and sirens. The fourth extricated student <br />is loaded into the Life Flight helicopter. Another student is given a field sobriety test, arrested and taken away in a police <br />car. The one student who was pronounced “dead” at the scene is placed in a body bag and leaves in a funeral car. <br /> <br />The entire reenactment is performed in front of hundreds of students. The next day, students gather for an assembly. The <br />focus of the assembly stresses the dangers of texting while driving, and that the decision to consume alcohol can affect <br />many more people than just the one who drinks. This very emotional and heart-wrenching event illustrates to students the <br />potentially dangerous consequences of the use of alcohol and texting while driving, regardless of how casual the use seems <br />to be. <br /> <br />For more information about the “Every 15 Minutes Program,” contact Deputy Chief of Shift Operations Randy DeWitt at <br />541-682-7147 or Randy.C.DeWitt@ci.eugene.or.us. <br /> <br />Regional Prosperity Summit Highlights Partnerships and Opportunities <br />Last week, over 175 business leaders, community members and local officials attended the 2013 Regional Prosperity <br />Summit at the University of Oregon’s Ford Alumni Center. The summit was an example of the critical partnerships that <br />have been charting a course <br />through the Great Recession and <br />accelerating regional prosperity. <br />The cities of Eugene and <br />Springfield, Lane County, the <br />University of Oregon, and the <br />Eugene and Springfield chambers of <br />commerce organized the event to <br />review economic progress and <br />begin a discussion of new <br />possibilities. <br /> <br />The keynote address, given by Max Williams, president and CEO of the Oregon Community Foundation, spoke to <br />philanthropy’s role in promoting prosperity. Afterwards, expert panels representing sectors drawn from education <br />technology, food and beverage production, and manufacturing industrial clusters, discussed their ideas for the region to <br />build, retain and expand companies. Audience members participated in table discussions and by voting via text message for <br />the ideas they felt were the most promising or important. Key ideas from presenters and audience comments included: <br /> <br />Supporting quality schools and providing unique educational opportunities; <br /> <br /> <br />Training younger generations for open, high-paying jobs; <br /> <br /> <br />Re-branding the region with a focus on the distinctive products, services and qualities of the area that make it a great <br /> <br />place to work and live; <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 <br />November 21, 2013 <br />