My name is Hunter Stoll and I'd like to share my story and involvement in understanding and spreading awareness of the effects of driving under the influence.  I joined my volunteer ambulance corps as a youth squad member at 14 years of age and began riding at 15.  I took my EMT class while I was 16 and became our first cleared 17 year old EMT.  Volunteering my time on the ambulance has given me first hand knowledge of the affects of driving under the influence as I have responded to the accidents and seen the damage caused by someone making a poor decision.  Driving while impaired while traditionally thought of as someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol has grown into so much more with the use of mobile devices.  I now look at some of these accidents and have come to learn that some are caused by texting and driving or even watching tik tok while driving.  Seeing the aftermath of driving under the influence coupled with the lessons learned while I took defensive driving has made me a more conscientious driver myself and has given me the drive to spread awareness so that others make better decisions. Seeing and hearing about so many accidents that happen due to driving under the influence or distracted driving have certainly made me more aware of my own behaviors and even of those with whom I am a passenger with. One thing I never thought about was driving while tired.  This sadly was brought to my attention through my involvement with my ambulance corps.  Sadly to make a decent wage so many EMS providers work multiple full time jobs.  I see folks go from one agency to another working back to back shifts.  One of the early stories I heard when I got involved was that of one of my colleagues who did just that and unfortunately feel asleep behind the wheel of an ambulance and had a horrific accident.  This is a constant reminder to me as well as as my parents reminding me of the importance of good sleep and rest.  

Our school participates in the No Empty Chair Campaign every year.  The goal is to make sure our students make good decisions so that everyone attends graduation and we aren't having to memorialize one of our classmates with an empty chair.  One of the events I participate in is the DUI mock accident.  Each year we bring in cars and have them positioned to replicate an accident.  Having the EMS experience I volunteer to play the deceased student sparing a non experienced student from being put in a body bag.  We moulage up the victims, have the local ambulance corps, fire department and police agencies involved and narrate a simulated DUI accident showing the carnage left behind.  We have several role players including parents and students who play injured passengers, parents arriving on the scene seeing their injured or deceased child, and student bystanders.  The drill is watched by hundreds of students.  

We do several rotations of the drill to be able to accommodate most of our junior and senior students.  We start off the drill by having the first responders pull up with their lights and sirens.  Moulaged (make up to simulate actual wounds) victims are prepositioned in and around the cars depending on the scenario. They are made to look very realistic and of course we use lots of fake blood.   Like I mentioned I play the deceased student.  The first responders pronounce me and tend to the injured victims.  They load up those victims while I lay under a white sheet waiting for the medical examiner.  He then shows up, loads me into a body bag and carts me off to the morgue.  

This drill isn't designed to cause trauma to the students watching but to catch their emotional side, to make them feel just some of the feels felt by those affected by an actual accident, and to take those feels with them as they make decision around proms and graduation parties.  The school always have their counselors in attendance to address any emotional needs of the students watching or the participants.  

We also have the police there arresting the student responsible for the accident and go even further by having one of our Assistant District Attorneys and local judge there doing a mock arraignment.  If time permits either myself or one of the other first responders will relate a real life call to show that this isn't for show.  These scenarios are based on real world incidents that we have all witnessed.  We discuss the affects on their families, us as responders, their peers, and their community.  This year we had a parent who lost a child to a drunk driving accident also come and speak about the affects on their family.  This drill has a tremendous impact on all of our students, staff, and faculty.  Of course our goal is for every student to walk away making better decisions but if just one life is saved we have done our jobs. 

I am firm believer in students taking drivers education where a lot of this information is discussed.  I am also a firm believer in listening to local stories and first responders, parents and peers. The human emotion is a very strong convincing force.  I will take my lessons and continue to spread awareness, participate in drills like I have, and make sure I don't have to tell anyone's parent or loved one that their family member isn't coming home.  

Thank you for the opportunity to tell my story, the opportunity to learn all I have learned in my own driver's education course, and the opportunity to make a difference by sharing my knowledge in hopes to having a positive influence on others.