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Think back over your years of training and recall an "ah ha" moment that you experienced. Think of that moment when you experienced a true understanding of a topic. What was it that triggered that sudden understanding? Regardless of training content, training may only be effective long-term if the content is learned, resulting in behavior change.

Operation of emergency vehicles is often performed under stress where time is of the essence and lights and sirens are used to expedite response. All fifty states allow emergency vehicle operators privileges beyond normal traffic laws with the intent of enabling assistance to be rendered in an expedited manner to the general public. Authorized Emergency Vehicles, especially fire apparatus due to their size, pose special risk to both their occupants and motoring public. Many fire apparatus qualify as commercial vehicles under the Federal Commercial Motor Vehicle Act and must meet the minimum Federal standards for knowledge and skills testing in Subpart G and H of 49CFR283 or be exempted by the state. Word of CAUTION; being exempt from a standard does not mean that a driver, the organization and/or the instructor cannot be held criminally liable, just like possessing a CDL does not make you a good driver.

Standards as mentioned above are minimum requirements. Is it enough, or is it time to take this to the next level? Here is a short quiz.  As an instructor, you should be able to answer these true or false questions. 

1. The safest way to back up a vehicle is not to back it up at all.
2. You must drive fast while responding to an emergency, because every second
3. When you are using your lights and sirens, civilian drivers must yield the right of
4. The formula for safe following distance under 40 mph is 1 second for each 10 feet of vehicle
5. If the emergency vehicle you are driving is involved in a crash, you are legally exempt from prosecution under state
6. If you can drive a pick-up or passenger car, you can drive a fire truck.
7. "Due regard" for the safety of others means keeping others' safety in mind when carrying out a dutiful
8. When you use your blue lights while responding to a call in your personal car, you are considered an emergency

The answers are below.   If you responded to any of these statements incorrectly, you are not alone. We train constantly on everything from flow path to how to properly use SCBA and operating portable equipment. Ironically, we don't spend nearly as much time learning and practicing emergency vehicle response procedures and vehicle dynamics - despite the fact that emergency vehicles are used much more frequently than any other tool.  When and how did you learn apparatus positioning? How about acceptable intersection procedures? 

Clearly, we need to achieve a better balance. Statistics show that on average there are 12,000 collisions involving emergency vehicles, resulting in as many as 10,000 injuries and hundreds of fatalities. Moreover the emergency services are no longer immune to prosecution - as can be seen by the number of law suits and criminal allegations against emergency vehicle operators that continues to increase. You as an instructor carry a huge responsibility to qualify those drivers and provide them with the knowledge and resources necessary to achieve the desired behavior change that we expect from them. 

Because of the high stress, high visibility, and high level of responsibility associated with driving an emergency vehicle, proper training is absolutely essential.  And it doesn't just mean learning to drive an obstacle course.  It means understanding the physical forces and laws that govern driving a 32,000-pound apparatus.  It means knowing the elements of your state motor vehicle code that apply specifically to emergency vehicles and personal vehicles.  It means hours of supervised behind-the-wheel driving and refresher training.  It means learning appropriate response speeds and following distances.  And it means being aware of other drivers at all times. We need to get creative in delivering these lessons so that our drivers experience that “ah ha” moment and relate to what we are teaching.

Creativity is the key word here. Most firefighters are hands on. We need to experience it, not just be lectured to. Keep that in mind when teaching your driver training. Create an interactive classroom and then take those lessons out onto the bay floor. Demonstrate what is expected and always lead by example. If you are driving without a seatbelt or with one hand on the wheel, guess what your students will do? Whatever standard you set becomes the rule that they will follow.

If you don't know where to turn for help in developing a proper emergency vehicle driver training program, contact your state fire academy, community college, the U.S. Fire Administration, or your local VFIS representative.  In the future, we can predict with confidence that road congestion will only get worse, that our highways will continue to expand to 4, 6 or even 8 lanes of traffic and that the motoring public will become even more distracted and confused about how to react when an emergency vehicle approaches.  Unless your organization has responsible, properly trained drivers, the list of injuries and fatalities will continue to grow.

Answers

1. True. Whenever possible avoid backing, which is especially hazardous because the driver cannot see where he/she intends to go. Have trained spotters in place and check all around your vehicle to make sure all equipment is in place and all doors are securely closed.
2. False. The old adage "Better to arrive late than never" is absolutely true. 
3. False. Warning devices and state laws do not guarantee right of way. It isn't realistic or practical to expect the general public to properly react every time they encounter an emergency vehicle.
4. False. This formula is 4 seconds for each 10 feet at length for speeds under 40 mph. Maintaining a cushion of safety on all sides of the vehicle is essential to safe operations.
5. False. That is no longer true. Ask those who are now serving time for causing deadly accidents.
6. False. There is a significant difference in handling characteristics between driving a 3200 lb. passenger car and a 32,000-pound pumper. Actions that can cause you to lose control include going too fast for weather/road conditions, accelerating too quickly, braking inappropriately, changing direction too abruptly and tracking a curve at too high a speed.
7. True. Knowing and understanding state motor vehicle laws is important for emergency vehicle operators.
8. True or False. You must know your state motor vehicle Using "courtesy lights" on your personal car or truck does not make it an emergency vehicle in most states. Therefore you must obey all applicable motor vehicle laws. Basically, courtesy lights are a request for other drivers to let you pass them. They are not a demand for right-of-way , nor can you illegally pass or speed up to overtake another vehicle. All vehicles must be driven with DUE REGARD.

Join me on Saturday, September 29 at 1:00 pm for my session "The Effects of Mandatory Training" at the ISFSI Fall Instructor Development Conference in Tinley Park, Illinois. Register online by September 1 to save money!