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MHS Students Experience a Different Kind of Party

by Jocelyn Ottenbreit

On Thursday, May 4th, students at Martensville High School (MHS) got to experience a P.A.R.T.Y…. but this P.A.R.T.Y. was different.


P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth) Program is about prevention and awareness and learning through emotional and vivid experience. Partnered with schools and community organizations, it is coordinated by the Saskatchewan Health Authority Acquired Brain Injury Services Education & Prevention to help educate students in Grade 10 how to make better choices and manage risks.


Students get to learn from real people and their very real experiences. This P.A.R.T.Y. took MHS students to a mock accident scenario designed as realistically as possible, giving students a true picture of the reality of what really happens at a crash scene.


This licensed injury prevention program for high school students was developed by the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.


“It’s grounded in the belief that 90% of injuries are predictable and preventable. Preventable injury is the leading cause of death and disability in young people in Canada. Our goal at P.A.R.T.Y. is to help students recognize and reduce the potential consequences of risk-taking behaviors by sharing information that’s honest, straight-forward and accurate. The day is interactive and experiential, which really resonates with students and keeps them engaged,” said Lisa McGowan, Education & Prevention Coordinator/Health Educator with Sask Central Acquired Brain Injury Services.


Deputy Fire Chief Dean Brooman guided the students during the mock accident scenario explaining to them what they need to do when there is a vehicle crash and how emergency responders tend to the situation.


“We have participated in this program in the past and think it is a great opportunity to show students not only what we do, but to learn from a lot of different professionals,” Brooman said.


The mock accident scenario started in front of Martensville High School with a vehicle lying on its’ side, two victims outside the vehicle, one trapped inside (mannequin) and one who walked away from the scene. Martensville Fire Department did an extrication of the vehicle to remove a trapped patient as students participated in the mock accident scenario. Victims of the ‘accident’ were played by student actors who were assessed, rescued, and treated at the scene by Martensville Fire Department (MFD) first responders and paramedics with Medavie West Health Services along with the RCMP who assisted the ‘accident’.


The mock accident which was about 40 minutes long gave a visual and dramatic experience for students starting from making the 911 call to watching the experienced first responders arrive and treat the victims on scene, showing step by step what would happen if they were involved in a motor vehicle accident.


Students then participated in break-out sessions after the mock scenario, with speakers from health care and law enforcement. These hands-on activities using adaptive devices gave students the experience of exactly what it would be like to live with and recover from an injury.


In the afternoon, students got to hear from Kayley Lawrenz, a young woman who became a quadriplegic at age 16, after being an unbelted passenger in a truck and was ejected when the driver lost control on a gravel road.


Lou and Linda Van de Vorst also spoke to students about their experience losing their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren following a collision with an impaired driver in 2016.

ABOVE: Members of the Martensville Fire Department were at Martensville High School to take part in the P.A.R.T.Y. Program where they did a demonstration for students. (Jocelyn Ottenbreit/MM)

ABOVE: Dean Brooman talks to student during the mock accident scenario

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