By Thomas A. Merrill
In our volunteer fire departments, the majority of activities involve driving; driving to the drill grounds, driving to training facilities, assisting at community events and details, and going to emergency calls requires someone to be behind the wheel of our fire apparatus. Every year, a large percentage of firefighter deaths and injuries are directly related to apparatus accidents. Here we are only into the first quarter of 2015, and already several line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) and injuries have occurred involving apparatus operations. For this reason alone, the professional volunteer fire department must take the steps necessary to develop and implement an effective driver training program.
This article aims to create awareness and gain a consensus that driver training and safe apparatus driving policies need to be developed and taken seriously.
Many departments are in desperate need of emergency apparatus drivers to help get the vehicles out of the firehouse for a quick response. All over the country, volunteer firefighter numbers are declining at an alarming rate. It makes sense then that if the total number of firefighters is declining, there are even fewer members available to drive the rigs because not every firefighter is a vehicle driver. Members may be encouraged to drive immediately on joining the department and, even if they have a little trepidation, they may feel the pressure to help their department out and will agree to do so. In some instances, departments are allowing very young members to drive. They may have only been driving a car for a very short time, and now they being placed behind the wheel of a 50,000-pound fire truck responding to an emergency incident with lights and sirens blaring.
The need for drivers should never be an excuse for a rushed or poorly designed driver training program. Department leaders must put in time and effort to design and implement a program that is effective, beneficial, and properly prepares members for the incredible responsibility they are undertaking. In addition, leaders should also put in place a program that offers some sort of annual refresher training and evaluation for current qualified drivers. These programs are created not only for the safety of our firefighters but for the safety of the citizens in our communities as well.
Department leaders need to embrace the idea of a formal, well-scripted apparatus training program because it ensures continuity through the years. Obviously, some program modifications will take place over time, but having an outline helps ensure that the most important driving rules and standard operating procedures (SOPs) are covered no matter who is doing the training.
Departments should also decide when a member is eligible to begin driving apparatus. Some departments set an age limit; others mandate the member have a certain amount of time in before training. Some may base their rules on a member’s personal experience if the member, for instance, has experience driving commercial trucks or he has transferred from a department where he drove apparatus. In any program, there should be a waiting period (in my department it is one year) so the member becomes familiar with basic fire department operations, even in the case of an experienced driver.
Many departments find it beneficial to proceed slowly in a methodical manner and gradually qualify members on different apparatus. For example, members may start them out with a smaller vehicle such as a light rescue or ambulance for a period of time before moving up to a larger vehicle. It may take several years before a member is properly trained on all the vehicles, but he certainly wasn’t rushed through it; he had time to gain experience.
Don’t just throw members behind the wheel and have them start driver training; have some classroom training as well. This time can be used to review those important department driving policies and procedures. In addition, review actual case studies and lessons learned from incidents involving fire service apparatus. Have students understand and embrace the incredible responsibility of being an apparatus driver. Have students start out by driving a department pickup truck or light rescue vehicle; these vehicles are no less dangerous and need to be driven responsibly. New members might be excited with the thought of being able to drive an emergency vehicle with lights, sirens, and air horns blaring, but, they must understand that not only are they responsible for the safety of their crew and the general public, but they can be criminally liable as well. Indeed, some drivers have gone to jail for failing to drive with due regard.
Structure your program so trainees are closely monitored and evaluated for a certain number of hours and are put through various driving scenarios and operational challenges that allow them to become comfortable with the rig. Department leaders should decide on a minimum number of hours trainees must have supervised behind the wheel before being allowed to drive on their own. Some departments require a minimum number of hours of supervised driving to actual emergency incidents as well.
Take advantage of any programs offered through state or regional training bureaus. There are some very good educational programs covering apparatus driving, and many noted professionals who travel the country delivering this quality training. If you are fortunate to be in an area offering any of these, take advantage of it.
There are also some nicely structured driver training programs available from very reputable organizations that can be a great benefit to department driver trainers. My department uses “Coaching the Emergency Vehicle Operator™” (CEVO) as our introductory lesson for new apparatus drivers for light rescue and ambulance type apparatus as well as the more cumbersome and heavier fire apparatus. We have found it to be a great addition to our program.
We must ensure that our potential drivers are legally allowed to drive. If your department allows for it, run a license background check of your drivers. Better to identify a potential problem before they get behind the wheel of your fire apparatus. One great tool that is embraced by many departments to assist with background checks is a reporting system that supplies information concerning your prospective and current drivers. Departments using this system can quickly identify their problem drivers and focus efforts to improve safety and decrease vulnerability. The state of New York offers a free license event notification service (LENS). You simply submit a roster of department drivers and are notified automatically of various infractions and events such as the expiration and renewal of member’s personal driver license; the suspension, revocation and restoration of a driver license; changes to a driver license class privilege; traffic convictions; and reportable accidents, among many others.
An organization can also decide what events it wants to be notified about. Leaders may not need to know about every parking ticket a member gets, but they certainly would want to know about a member having his license revoked for a serious driving infraction. In my department, members do not have to agree to participate in the LENS program, but they must if they want to drive apparatus; it’s that simple.
Smartly, many departments put together their own driver training manuals. They take the important information from the official training manuals provided by the manufacturer and combine it with their own in-house information and department SOPs; this puts everything in one place and serves as a reference manual for the member throughout his career.
Throughout the driver training process, it is extremely important to document all training. If an accident occurs involving a department vehicle, one of the first things investigators will want to see is a record of the training and the number of training hours that driver has. Remember, if it’s not documented, it never happened. Keep a log for each driver listing his classroom and driving hours. If a member completes a formal training class, ensure a copy of the certificate is placed in their personnel file. Today’s fire service computer software is a great asset to help keep track of members training records.
Apparatus driving is an important and necessary part of our job as volunteer firefighters. Unfortunately, we continue to read far too many accounts of apparatus accidents and firefighter injuries and fatalities because of these accidents. A well-designed driver training program can pay huge dividends for the professional volunteer fire department.
Thomas A. Merrill is a 30-year fire department veteran in the Snyder Fire Department, which is located in Amherst, New York. He served 26 years as a department officer, including 15 years in the chief officer ranks, and recently completed five years as chief of department. He also is a professional fire dispatcher for the town of Amherst fire alarm office. He can be reached at tamerrill63@aol.com.
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- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: The New Member
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- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Radio Communication
- The Professional Volunteer Fire Department: Preplanning
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