Point Pleasant Beach: Members of Ocean Fire Company #1, along with Point Pleasant Beach Fire Company #2, the Point Pleasant First Aid & Emergency Squad and the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department participated in a program at the Point Pleasant Beach High School entitled "Every Fifteen Minutes." The goal of this program is to educate high school students on the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The program started in the morning with a simulated car accident in front of the school. A car driven by a "drunk driver" crashed into another car full of students. All of the students from the High School were able to witness the actions taken by the responding emergency service agencies. Emergency units from the Point Pleasant Beach Fire Department and the Point Pleasant First Aid & Emergency Squad responded to the scene. Members of the Fire Department stretched handlines and assisted the First Aid Squad with the extrication and patient removal.

As the scene unfolded, the "drunk driver" was given a sobriety test by a Police Officer and subsequently arrested. Two of the victims were transported by ambulance, with two other victims being pronounced dead at the scene. The High School principal, Dr. Raymond Ellis played the role of the Grim Reaper, standing over the accident scene.

Because every fifteen minutes in the United States someone is killed by a drunk driver, throughout the school day every fifteen minutes one student was taken from a class and had their face painted white. They were then asked to wear a black T-shirt stating "Think before you drink." The students that were "killed" were than asked to write a good-bye letter to their parents. At the end of the day, these letters were read to the entire student body during an assembly.

This was the first time that this program has even been delivered at the Point Pleasant Beach High School. The program was very well received by the High School students, facility and members of the community. Melissa Dempsey, a junior in the High School and an active member of the Point Pleasant First Aid & Emergency Squad, organized the program. The members of Point Pleasant Beach Fire Co. No. 2 and the entire Point Pleasant Beach Fire Department were pleased to be able to contribute to this important awareness program.