To Save a Life (03-19-07)

There is a proverb that goes something like this: To save one life is to save all the world.

This week, I was reminded of this saying three times when HCHS had two major disaster drills and an all school assembly.

Community That Cares (CTC), put together a forum of public speakers to address several dangerous issues. Our kids heard first hand accounts of the terrible toll extracted from using drugs and alcohol and we were shown the dangers of driving without a seatbelt.

Afterwards, no one had any questions, which just proved that the forum had accomplished its mission and delivered its message. I know I went right home and hugged my kids and I reminded them to get on my case if I ever pulled out of the driveway again without first putting on my seatbelt.

On Thursday, the Graham County Health Department conducted an immunization drill. I want to compliment the fine men and women who ran this exercise on a job well done. The hour long drill was conducted primarily before school, and they did an exceptional job handling the flow of students and staff who participated.

I came to discover that the drill was to prepare these medical personnel in distributing large quantities of medications in the event of an outbreak of the plague. The health department chose to use the plague as their test calamity, is because it is a bacterial disease, meaning that it can be successfully combated with antibiotics.

Finally, we conducted our first ever lockdown drill at the high school. This drill, of course, was to prepare our school in the event of an armed intruder. After Columbine, and the recent outbreak of school shootings this fall, a practice of this sort was long overdue.

I am so proud of our staff and students. They handled the procedures seriously and professionally. Within a matter of seconds after the lockdown was called, the classrooms were locked, darkened, and made to seem deserted. Those of us conducting the drill did everything we could to get staff and students to unlock their doors. We pulled the fire alarm, we made a fake “all-clear” announcement, and we pounded on doors. I even tried to convince one teacher that I didn’t have the correct key and that they should open the door for me.

I am happy to report that none of the ruses worked. In fact, the teachers and students were so successfully hidden that it was nearly impossible to see or hear their presence.

While the drill was success in both its execution and in the fact that it highlighted things we can do to improve future drills, the exercise also served as grim reminder of how exposed we are to such attacks. The same can be said for the dangers of drugs and alcohol, car accidents, and pandemics of disease. No matter how much we deliver the message to avoid harmful substances, to buckle-up and drive safely, and no matter how much we drill and prepare for possible deadly attacks, there just aren’t any guarantees. Not everyone will always make the best choice, and not every tragedy can be averted.

However, by delivering warnings and conducting drills, it is hoped that many more lives would be saved than may have been lost without the information and preparation. To me, the time and disruption of this last week is more than acceptable if the events of this last week help to save even a single life. If even a single student now “just says no” or if just one more kid now takes the time to buckle up, or if one person is able to get lifesaving medicine, or if a single student or staff member is able to successfully hide from an armed intruder, then all we have done this week is good and worthy of our time.

To save one life is to save all the world. We are trying to save them all, one life a time.