Airmen get 'smart' about safety

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Laura L. Valentine
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Team McConnell Airmen visually experienced the "shock and awe" associated with traumatic car accidents involving drugs and alcohol during Street Smart presentations Nov. 17, 2011.

The 22nd Air Refueling Wing safety office hosted presenters from the non-profit organization, Stay Alive From Education, who present the Street Smart program worldwide. The presentations were mandatory for McConnell Airmen 28 years and younger.

Presenters Ronny Garcia, Tampa Fla., fire and rescue captain and Greg McCarty, retired lieutenant with Tampa fire and rescue, are part of a ten person traveling team based out of Florida. All presenters are experienced paramedic/firefighters.

The presentation is designed to educate audiences about the traumatic results of bad choices made while in a vehicle.

The Street Smart team educates more than 100,000 people a year.

The hour long presentation began with a disclaimer on the graphic nature of photos, videos, examples and stories of the types of trauma calls paramedics respond to.

"There are three types of calls we get as firefighters; fire, medical and trauma," said Garcia. "We see trauma calls affecting this young age group more than any other."

Simple judgment calls, such as not wearing a helmet while on a motorcycle and not buckling up in a vehicle, are the cause a lot of these traumas. Fatalities can be prevented, and most traumas can be prevented all together by simply making smart choices, said Garcia.

With graphic photos of real world fatalities flashing on the movie theater screen, Airmen were educated on the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and texting while driving.

Street Smart statistics state a person is 25 times more likely to die if ejected from a moving vehicle than if properly restrained in it, every five seconds there is a car wreck, and every 12 minutes someone dies in a car wreck.

"The presentation made you think twice about not putting on a seat belt," said Katie Merrill, 22nd Force Support Squadron fitness center staff member.

To help illustrate the direct result of a car accident, a volunteer was chosen from the audience to play the role of a trauma victim. McCarty and Garcia put the Airman in a neck brace and strapped them to a back-board. With in-depth detail, the two then described everything that would happen to an individual being worked on by paramedics and doctors.

"I liked when they brought someone on stage and told the audience what would happen, because it taught me what goes on after the accident," said Merrill. "So I was able to put myself in the situation and see how it would feel."

This is the second year of a mass military education initiative by Street Smart, to include all branches of service. McConnell is one of more than 70 installations hosting the program this year.

All of the photos and examples presented are real-life examples of traumatic events, and they have all been researched to find that drugs or alcohol were involved, said McCarty.

Simply put, this education is important because these are senseless deaths. Use this information to make good and informed choices. Use common sense. Use a wingman, said Garcia.

The men and women in our military sacrifice so much, and this is an opportunity for us to give back, said McCarty.

"I've been around the military for 30 years," said Robert Clapp, 22nd Air Refueling Wing ground safety manager. "Out of all the programs I've seen at bases where I've been stationed, this is right on target."