Paula White
Northern News Services

INUVIK (May 07/99) - Showing graphic images to students of body organs that have been damaged by drug and alcohol abuse doesn't bother volunteer firefighter Julie Miller a whole lot.

That's because she uses these images to bring home a very important point. Drugs kill.

Miller has been popping in to speak to students in Linda Palasz's class at Samuel Hearne school for about the past four months. She talks to the students about a wide range of topics, including fire safety, arson prevention, smoking and drugs. Sometimes she brings help, such as on April 29 when she showed up with RCMP Const. Nini Varkonyi. But most of the time, she goes it alone.

"These kids know where things are at," she remarked. "This group of kids has come along incredibly."

Miller has worked as a volunteer firefighter for the town for a year and eight months. Before that, she worked for a time at a treatment centre in Fort Smith, as well as volunteering for three-and-a-half years with the ambulance service there.

"I'm loving what I'm doing and just getting a lot of experience with the fire department," Miller said. "We've got an incredible group of people in this department."

Miller enjoys speaking to students and other groups such as Sparks and Girl Guides. She said she doesn't tell kids what to do, she merely provides the education that shows them the consequences of their actions, and gives them the tools to help them make the right decisions.

"So they don't end up like that," she said, referring to the photos in the book. "If they know what the consequences are, it might make a difference in what they decide to do."

And is it making a difference?

Teacher Linda Palasz seems to think so.

"I'm absolutely thrilled," she said. "I'm pleased with the way the kids are responding to her. I know she cares about them."

Palasz said the talks are part of the school's health curriculum, which is set up to teach students about healthy lifestyles. She explained that Miller originally came into the school to do a presentation on arson prevention. The students liked her so much, Palasz asked her to come back on a regular basis. Miller now speaks to the class every second week.

"She just talks straight from the hip," Palasz explained. "She talks in a way they can understand.

"Kids are starting to pick that up. They're really starting to trust her. I can tell."