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These mock DUI demonstrations require the participation of police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, tow truck companies, makeup artists, corners offices, and mortuaries. Both parent and student volunteers from local high schools also participate in the mock motor vehicle accidents. Students learn the effects of driving under the influence by viewing re-creations of severe automobile accidents.
Friends against Drunk Driving, also known as FADD, are a coalition of police departments, fire departments, ambulance services, as well as several other organizations. The group has been dedicated to the education of students about the perils of drunk driving and the dangers of felony DUI for over a decade. In 1989, the organization was founded by Orange County Fire Authority Paramedic Captain Steve Concialdi. Concialdi continues to embrace the importance of the program and confirms that students come back to him year after year to tell him that the program has greatly impacted their lives.
According to Captain Concialdi, "These are realistic accidents that change the lives of everybody. We are showing them reality. We bring in a mom halfway into the program. She's distraught and every student can relate to if their mom showed up on an accident like that."
Many high school students confirm that the accident re-creations hit home with the students in a way that impacts their behavior on prom night. In Orange County, Fire Authority Battalion 5 Chaplain, Jeff Hetschel, reports that the program has been, incredibly effective. He also reported that over the last five years, DUI incidents among teenage drivers have decreased dramatically.
