FLY VISITS SUNNYVALE DPS

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – One of the greatest challenges in the California legal system is what to do with young offenders. By some estimates, some 75 percent of those youth become repeat offenders. There is a program, however, that boasts a 90 percent success rate, and the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) helped them out with a recent demonstration.

FLY (Fresh Lifelines for Youth) is a five-year-old nonprofit organization that started in Santa Clara County and has spread to San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. According to Kelly Neal, FLY’s director of community resources, FLY has grown rapidly since its inception in 2000.

“We are serving about 2,500 kids this year, up from 2,000 last year,” she said. “When FLY began, we had a five-year goal of reaching 2,000 kids, something we have now accomplished several years early.”

FLY concentrates on mentoring, leadership training and life skills. Many of the youth not only turn their own lives around, but also want to give back to the community. That’s where the Peer Leadership Program comes in. With about 40 members participating this year, the year-long Peer Leadership Program provides additional training in leadership and activism; community service; and case management/mentoring.

On Sunday (September 18), several members of the FLY Peer Leadership Program came to Sunnyvale Fire Station 3 to get a personal view of the consequences of choices some people make.

“We want to show these kids what happens when someone makes a poor choice and elects to drive while under the influence,” said Sunnyvale Deputy Chief Chuck Eaneff. “By letting them watch and actually participate in a vehicle rescue exercise – using rescue saws and the Jaws of Life – they will get a lasting image of the consequences. Just as importantly, they can see the teamwork our public safety officers need while working together in a rescue operation, and the fact that training and learning are life-long activities.”

During the morning-long demonstration, Sunnyvale public safety officers methodically dismantled a car, cutting open the hood to disconnect the battery, peeling back the roof to allow access to injured parties inside and then, with FLY members handling the equipment, using hydraulic tools to force open the doors to enable a rescue.

Following the rescue work, public safety officers hosted a firehouse barbecue for the FLY members.