BARRHEAD - Barrhead Const. Karen Vicente has done it far too many times over her career — notifying a parent or spouse has lost their loved one in an accident that, more often than not, could have been easily avoidable.
On May 1, as part of its annual RISK Day, Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) Grade 9 students took part in a mock accident scenario involving two youths in an off-highway vehicle (OHV) accident that claimed one life and seriously altered the life of another.
RISK stands for Reducing Injury with Student Knowledge.
In the scenario, the two youths, both impaired, were riding on a quad when it flipped, throwing both individuals a distance from the machine.
EMS declared one of the youths, the passenger who was not wearing a helmet, dead at the scene; the other was taken to hospital via ambulance with serious and potentially life-threatening injuries.
"That is the hardest part of my job," she said, struggling to hold back the tears. "Today, you saw a mock accident, but I have seen actual collisions and accidents. I have been on the job for 13 years and have tons of them, too many. I can tell you they are not very nice ... all of them are imprinted in my brain, and they keep me up at night."
Vicente then stressed the importance of making good decisions, saying in addition to the emotional toll it takes on emergency personnel, the driver in the scenario is facing some very serious legal difficulties, most likely driving while impaired, causing death.
"Which is a Criminal Code charge," she said.
Vicente implored the students to make good decisions and not to drive any vehicle while impaired or get in a vehicle with anyone they suspect is impaired.
"I don't want to have to knock on your door and tell your parents that you were seriously hurt or have passed away and have another memory that keeps me awake at night," she said.
The school has been hosting a variation of the program before the Victoria Day long weekend since 1993, following several years when the school lost several students in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents on the May holiday weekend.
The school put on the event in partnership with the Barrhead CARES coalition and with the help of the Barrhead RCMP, Barrhead Regional Fire Services (BRFS), Associated Ambulance and Alberta Health Services (AHS).
In recent years, the scenario has varied from this year's OHV accident to a motor vehicle collision to a drug overdose, among others. No matter the scenario, they all have one thing in common: all of them were easily avoidable if the participants had made smart decisions.
BCHS student services coordinator Amber McGinn said all the scenarios have one thing in common: they were all avoidable.
BCHS student services coordinator Amber McGinn, in an e-mail interview, said that in addition to the mock accident scenario, the students participated in presentations led by the RCMP, BRFS, EMS, and AHS, including Alberta Addiction and Mental Health counsellors and individuals talking about their personal stories and how to deal with the peer pressure that can lead to making poor and potentially life-altering decisions.
McGinn added that typically, Grade 9 students participate in the school's annual RISK day as it is closely aligned with their health curriculum.