The Every Fifteen Minutes program originated in Canada. The first Every Fifteen Minutes program took place in Chico. It was done by the Chico police department in 1995.
Every Fifteen Minutes, at time of it's conception, represented the estimated rate of how long it took someone under the influence of alcohol to cause a fatal crash. This since changed. The program itself is for high school students who are junior and seniors. The planning takes place month in advance. It is normally set up to be done right before prom or homecoming.
The program covers many things in relation to alcohol. The two that are focused on the most are driving while drunk and alcohol poisoning. Several agencies are involved, such as police, fire and rescue, hospital, and actual parents.
Although versions vary between schools, the actual program is done the same way. It is two day event. It comes to a head at an assembly on day two that reiterates the importance of staying sober. The event order may vary, but the sequence remains mostly in tact from school to school.
Each school's version of the program is different, but the concept is the same. Two days are dedicated to the event. It then wraps up with an assembly that stresses the importance of staying sober in relation to the events the students have witnessed over the two days. The event order follows below.
For the rest of the day, every fifteen minutes, a bell tolls. When this happens, the grim reaper enters a classroom to take a student. An officer will then come in and read an obituary detailing how the student died. The cause is always related to alcohol. The "dead" students are taken to a location to spend the night. They do sober activities, and prepare for phase two.
Every fifteen minutes thereafter, a student who is prior chosen is removed from the class. A police officer then informs the class that their classmate has been "killed" in an alcohol related incident. The students chosen for this program are picked in September of that year. In reality, students that are removed from the classroom spend the night doing non-alcoholic activities, and discussing the dangers of drinking and driving at a lock in.
To wrap up the day, the entire student body, not just Junior and Seniors, are brought to an assembly. It is to bring the program to an end. This program is normally run by police officers. They sometimes include slide shows graphic car crash sites.
At the end of the day, the student body is gathered for an assembly. This assembly wraps up the two day program. Police officers run it. They sometimes show horrifying crash sites in a slide show. These images are often graphic.
After the slide show, the program is turned over to the volunteers of the program. This includes the dead students, and their parents. They read testimonials about their experience in the event. Sometimes, the parents will read letters they have written to their dead children.
Since it's introduction to the United States, the Every Fifteen Minutes program has made a large impact on high school students. They are making better choices when it comes to DUI driving while intoxicated, and alcohol related accidents. It has been called innovative, and prominent. With programs like these, it is a possible our future generations will be smarter.
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