MONROE — Years ago, Monroe firefighters Pat Gjerde and Kurt Schneider had a conversation. They were tired of seeing young people hurt and killed in crashes.
They wanted to find a way to reach out to teens, before word of those wrecks came across their emergency pagers.
This winter was the fifth time they’ve spoken to junior social-studies classes at Monroe High School. Schneider, who’s also a paramedic, estimates they’ve talked to a thousand kids over the years.
The class usually is held in the spring. This school year, they decided to move it up so Gjerde still could participate.
At 40, he’s headed overseas to serve in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
He joined the U.S. Marine Corps after high school but was discharged for an injury after two years. Now is his chance to finish what he started, he said, following the path of his father, grandfather and uncles. He started as a reservist in 2012, driven by “a sense of duty and a sense of obligation,” he said.
The Monroe fire district will keep the driving safety program, “Think Again,” going at the high school. There is talk of expanding to other campuses, too.
The program is designed to engage teenagers, Gjerde said. Most 16-year-olds have been warned over and over about the dangers of drunken driving, he said. Most of the ones he talks to wear their seatbelts, too.
After a warning, graphic photos from real fatal crashes are shared with the teens. The firefighters talk about crashes they’ve been to — the mechanics of a rescue.
“The message works,” Schneider said. “We’re giving them honest information.”
Gjerde likes to look each student in the eyes and say, “I care about you. That’s why I’m here.”
The hope is to never see those students in a wreck.
Three years ago, they were called to a crash scene where a Monroe High School boy was being placed on a backboard. The boy recognized Gjerde and Schneider.
Without prompting, he promised them he had been paying attention to the road: “I remember your class and I’m so sorry,” he said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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