Today the Adams Area Fire District was able to once again participate in the Mock Vehicle Crash at the Mars Area Senior High School. This educational campaign was developed to raise awareness in high school students on the dangers and implications of impaired driving, especially as the celebratory seasons of prom and graduation season, where an uptick of severe motor vehicle crashes involving teenagers driving impaired, present themselves.

The Adams Area Fire District, Quality EMS, Adams Township Police Department, Middlesex Volunteer Fire Company, and Callery Volunteer Fire Company, as well as other agencies such as the Butler County Coroner, STAT Medevac, and AHN Lifeflight have participated in this program with the Mars Area School District for many years on a biennial basis. The restrictions of COVID the past few years have put the program on a hiatus, but we are glad to be back presenting this program to raise awareness for our local youth and to hopefully prevent poor choices from affecting their promising futures.

The students were able to witness a "mock" vehicle crash in which an "impaired" student lost control, crashing into another vehicle causing injuries to her and her passenger, as well as serious injury to the driver of the second vehicle, with the second vehicle's passenger being "ejected" from the vehicle and dying at the scene. Rescuers performed simulated extrication and care of all patients, with Adams Township Police performing field sobriety tests on the "impaired" driver and arresting them. AHN Lifeflight was then landed at the "scene" to fly the extricated patient while the Butler County Coroner recovered the "DOA" patient.

Students were advised of the dangers of impaired driving and then went inside to the auditorium for a presentation on the effects of impairment and addiction.

We would like to thank all participants and our student actors who played the victims. We sincerely hope we raised awareness in the students and wish them all a safe and happy prom and graduation!