Street Smart urges safe driving

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Charles Rivezzo
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Laughter met with sobering reality. That's the concept of the nation-wide "Street Smart" briefing that was presented July 16 to Airmen at Travis Air Force Base.

"Throughout your lives you have had information beaten into you about drinking and driving and wearing a seatbelt," Oscar Duran, a Miami-based paramedic and Street Smart instructor said to the audience. "You've seen the slideshows and heard the statistics. But we want to show you the uncensored result of a motor vehicle accident."

Presented by members of S.A.F.E., a non-profit organization created by firefighters and paramedics in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Street Smart takes an audience into the real-life drama experienced by first responders as they work to save the lives of individuals who have made poor choices when it comes to drinking or using drugs, texting and driving and even the non-compliance of seat belts.

What sets them apart is their method of delivery. Featuring graphic photos and descriptions of real-life trauma incidents, "Street Smart" is a no-holds-barred presentation that gets the audience involved.

"In this world of shock and special effects, our younger generation has become desensitized to a lot of things," said Gary Ash, 60th Air Mobility Wing Safety and Occupational Health Specialist. "The Street Smart presentation allows Airmen to use their vivid imagination to accompany the details given by the professional first responders; the impression is lasting and effective."

Picked at random from the crowded room of service members, a 24-year-old airman first class was selected by instructors for a demonstration. The result was a fictional story that the veteran first responders had seen one too many times before.

Beginning as a harmless night out with friends to a poor decision of driving home while intoxicated, the audience witnessed the very real step-by-step process of how a motor vehicle trauma incident is handled by emergency responders.

With an array of medical equipment, members of the audience cringed as they watched their fellow Airmen strapped to a mock operating table.

"The briefing creates an impression at a very personal level," Ash said. "It allows each person in attendance to put themselves on the operating table as they receive the briefing."

The "Street Smart" program is sponsored by the Anheuser-Busch Foundation and provided through the Anheuser-Busch Corporate Social Responsibility Department, which provides funding for briefings to military bases nationwide.