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Police and firefighters at a mock car crash in Dalton on Thursday morning designed as a warning to young people about drinking and driving.
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A dummy lies under a sheet stained to look like blood and a hearse from Dery Funeral Home completes the picture.
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Participants got up at 4:30 a.m. to put the scene together in time for buses to arrive at the high school.
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A banner at Wahconah High to bring home the message.

Dalton Mock Car Crash Urges Safe Decisions for Young Drivers

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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The 'driver' of the crashed vehicle is taken away by police as motorists and school buses drive slowly by. Public safety personnel are hoping that it sends a message about bad decisions. 
DALTON, Mass. — It was a tragic scene Thursday morning on Old Windsor Road.
 
A Honda sedan was head-on into a utility pole, its windshield smashed. Alcohol bottles littered the scene. Limbs peeked out from under two bloody sheets. A hearse was parked nearby, ready to take on passengers. 
 
And a young person was taken away in handcuffs. 
 
The incident was both a drill for police and firefighters and a theater in the round for students just down the road at Wahconah Regional High School. 
 
The mock car crash was staged in front of the Water Department to emphasize the importance of making safe decisions before getting behind the wheel.
 
The car was a wreck from LaRochelle Auto Restoration, the hearse from Dery Funeral home, and the victims bloodied dummies.
 
The fake arrest was to show what happens to drunk drivers.
 
"Obviously if we can save one person, that's well worth everyone getting out of bed at [4:30 a.m.] If we can save more than one, that's obviously better," Fire Chief James Peltier said.
 
"But this is all about awareness to make the right decision to probably step back from a potential wrong decision before it becomes life-altering, the awareness for the parents as they drive by to maybe have a conversation with their kids before they go out tonight or tomorrow or Monday or whatever it is, and then realistically to push everyone and have this in the forefront of their mind as they're getting ready for their prom or party or after-party."
 
A banner in front of Wahconah reads "Remember the night, don't regret the night, enjoy prom and stay safe!"
 
The prom is on May 31 and graduation on June 5.
 
Peltier described it as a portable theater as school buses and other traffic going to the high school must slow down to travel past.
 
Police Chief Deanna Strout said this is the first time the town has done such a display but similar demonstrations used to be held at the high school. The departments had planned to do a full demo that incorporated Wahconah's drama club but did not have the space due to ongoing construction.
 
Advance notice was given to the school and the community so that people wouldn't think it was real.
 
Strout and Peltier added that the town's Fire and Police Departments have a great partnership in the interest of public safety. The event was made possible by the various entities that came together for the cause.

Tags: emergency drill,   OUI,   public safety,   

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BVNA Nurses Raise Funds for Berkshire Bounty

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Nursing Association members of the Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association raised $650 to help with food insecurity in Berkshire County.
 
The nurses and health-care professionals of BVNA have given back to the community every holiday season for the last three years. The first year, they adopted a large family, raised money, bought, wrapped and delivered the gifts for the family. Last year, they sold raffle tickets and the money raised went to the charitable cause of the winner. 
 
This year, with food insecurity as a rising issue, they chose to give to Berkshire Bounty in Great Barrington.
 
They sold raffle tickets for a drawing to win one of two items: A lottery ticket tree or a gift certificate tree, each worth $100. They will be giving the organization the donation this month.
 
Berkshire Bounty seeks to improve food security in the county through food donations from retailers and local farms; supplemental purchases of healthy foods; distribution to food sites and home deliveries; and collaborating with partners to address emergencies and improve the food system. 
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