SARAH'S STORY ALREADY IMPACTING MINNESOTA PUBLIC SAFETY
By: Chief Crawford Wiestiling member, CVVFA Emergency Responder Safety Institute.
Public Safety officials in Minnesota are already using the DVD of “Sarah’s Story” presented to the Emergency Responder Safety Institute at FDIC by the Monroe County Michigan Independent School District. The offering has the potential to become one of the most powerful public educational tools helping to protect Emergency Responders working on our nations highways. The DVD produced by the school district in cooperation with the Monroe County Court, Probation Department, the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office, the Michigan State Patrol Post 28 and Sarah’s attorney tells the story of Sarah Angove, a 19 year old driver who made some bad choices and struck a Michigan State Trooper working an. incident on the highway.
Before the DVD was made available free of charge through our Emergency Responder Safety Web-site, a copy was presented to Joel McColl, Fire Chief for the City of Savage, Minnesota. Within 24 hours chief McColl had met with and shown the DVD to the Savage Police Department and the Scott County Prosecutor. The group immediately decided to create a PSA for broadcast in the southern part of the Minneapolis viewing area. As a member of the Emergency Responder Safety Institute Team, I was asked to be part of the PSA.
Immediately following the production of the PSA, Chief McColl approached the Prior Lake-Savage School District and immediate results happened. Following presentation of “Sarah’s Story” to the Driver Education Instructors special training sessions where assigned to the City of Savage Public Safety Officals. Savage Police Captain Rodney Seurer, Chief McColl and this team member have made two presentations to current Drivers Education Classes. It is anticipated that this program will become a regular part of the drivers education program in the Prior Lake-Savage School District. Currently we are reaching out to other departments to adopt the City of Savage model for getting the message out to ”stop hitting our emergency responders out on the highways working to protect you “. Chief McColl and the Savage Fire Department also used part of “ Sarah’s Story” during activities as part of Fire Fighters National Stand Down.
The national release of the DVD “ Sarah’s Story” by the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen’s Association – Emergency Responder Safety Institute thatreceived grant funding for the project from the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Fire Administration is a must for every fire department tool box. Order a copy through this web-site and put it to use to help protect your Emergency Responders when working highway incidents.
In an article written by Jack Sullivan, CSP, CFPS Director of Training for the Emergency Responder Safety Institute that appeared in the June issue of the Everyone Goes Home newsletter entitled “ Roadway Incident Safety “ Best Practices” for Emergency Responders”. His eight point Roadway Incident Checklist, number 8 titled Public Education, clearly talks about using every opportunity to educate the motoring public. Sarah’s Story is a powerful tool, make it work for you. Working together we can ensure that “ Everyone Goes Home”.