Police officers in pursuit must drive at high speeds in a wide variety of potentially dangerous conditions. Fire trucks are heavy, large vehicles barreling down busy roads as they rush to get to an emergency, sometimes facing drivers who don’t provide the right-of-way or encountering debris blocking their way. It’s imperative that emergency personnel understand how to drive their vehicles as safely as possible in all kinds of conditions.

According to the CDC, in the last 10 years, on average, an officer per week has been killed on our nation’s roads. From 2011 to 2020, there were 286 officer line-of-duty deaths due to vehicle crashes (21% of the total).

Accidents involving fire trucks have also been on the rise for the past several years, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA). Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of death for on-duty firefighters. Firetruck crashes, occurring at a rate of approximately 30,000 crashes per year, have potentially dire consequences for the vehicle occupants and for the community if the firetruck was traveling to provide emergency services.

Emergency Vehicle Driver Training is Key in Crash Prevention 

Being on the road while working in emergency response is a hazardous business, but the dangers can be mitigated through proper training and safety protocols. Driver training should be a critical component to any police or fire department’s training program.

Ways your personnel will benefit from specialized emergency response driving courses:

They’ll understand the laws that apply to emergency vehicles.

Every state has specific driving laws that apply to emergency response vehicles, and through a specialized driver training program, officers and firefighters will understand all the ins and outs of these laws and regulations as well as being drilled in everyday precautions that are often forgotten or unenforced when in a high-stakes situation. (For instance, a study found that a dangerously large number of firefighters don’t wear their seatbelts, leading to unnecessary fatalities.)

They’ll learn how to properly navigate with “due regard.”

When an emergency occurs, professionals are trained to act as quickly as possible, and be so thoroughly conditioned to the correct procedures that they can do them without having to stop and think about them. The ability to react in a split second is key.

Officers and firefighters need to be trained to operate a motor vehicle such that it becomes second nature and reactions to obstacles or hazards are nearly instantaneous. Then in a real-life situation, when the adrenaline is pumping, the driver can react automatically in the safest way possible so that they are always driving with “due regard” which is defined as “driving in a manner to avoid any predictable collision.”

They’ll learn to avoid the most common errors that lead to crashes.

Some of the most common errors made by emergency response personnel include:

• A loss of control due to improper use of the vehicle’s steering, braking, and other controls;
• Exceeding the vehicle’s tire traction, leading to loss of control;
• Lack of awareness of their surroundings;
• Distracted driving;
• Driving too fast.

These are the types of issues that drivers will train to become more aware of and they will learn techniques for maintaining control of their vehicle in all situations.

They’ll be thoroughly familiarized with their vehicle.

Every police car or fire truck is full of various controls, and the drivers need to not only understand how the mechanics and technology operates, but also be comfortable with the act of driving. Additionally, learning how to drive in emergency mode when the lights and sirens are activated is key to being a safe driver.

They’ll get practical, hands-on training.

Not only does a comprehensive firefighter driver training program involve extensive classroom time, but attendees also get plenty of experience actually learning how to drive the vehicle correctly. Hands-on training helps them feel more comfortable in their skills when it’s time to respond to a real emergency.

Remember, you can’t take care of an emergency if you never get there!

DriveTeam’s mission is to raise firefighters’ and officers’ skills and safety levels through classroom and hands-on driving for real world experience. Our Emergency Response Operations Courses (E.R.O.C) are designed to train emergency response professionals in practical, hands-on driving. Contact us today for more information.

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Accidents involving fire trucks have been on the rise for the past several years, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA). Fire trucks are often required to travel at high speeds along congested roads, sometimes facing drivers who don’t provide the right-of-way or debris blocking their way. Or, some firefighters may not understand that they, too, need to follow the rules of the road, like stopping at red lights or stop signs and driving with Due Regard.

Firefighter Driver Training is Key in Accident Prevention

Firefighters train regularly to ensure they know how to use their gear correctly. However, they often don’t spend as much time learning proper emergency vehicle response procedures, even though the fire truck is used as frequently as any other tool or piece of equipment. This is why firefighter driver training should be a critical component to any fire department’s training program.

A few more reasons firefighters need driver training include:

1. They’ll understand the laws that apply to emergency vehicles. Every state has specific driving laws that apply to emergency response vehicles, and through a firefighter driver training program, they’ll understand all the ins and outs of these laws and regulations.
2. They’ll learn how to properly navigate with Due Regard. When an emergency occurs, we are trained to act as quickly as possible, and this is when our training goes into effect. If firefighters are consciously training the safest way possible to operate a motor vehicle, then as the subconscious takes over and when adrenaline is pumping, the driver operates with what they know. Let’s give them the right tools to operate by and make everyone safe.
3. They’ll get more familiar with the fire truck. Every fire truck is full of various controls, and drivers need to not only understand how everything operates, but also be comfortable with the size of the vehicle. Additionally, learning how to drive in emergency mode when the lights and sirens are activated is also key to being a safe driver.
4. They’ll get practical, hands-on training. Not only does a comprehensive firefighter driver training program involve extensive classroom time, but attendees also get plenty of experience actually learning how to drive the vehicle correctly. Hands-on training helps them feel more comfortable in their skills when it’s time to respond to a real emergency.

Remember, we can’t take care of the emergency if we never get there!

DriveTeam’s mission is to raise firefighter’s skills and safety levels through classroom and hands-on driving for real world experience. Our Emergency Response Operations Courses (E.R.O.C) are designed to train firefighters in practical, hands-on driving. Contact us today for more information.

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If your company oversees a fleet of vehicles or employs a mobile sales force, implementing a corporate driver training program is vital.  These programs can save the lives of your employees, but they can also protect your company’s financial resources and guard you against liabilities associated with any accidents due to any sort of impaired driving.

Drugged Driving Facts

According to crash statistics from the Ohio Department of Transportation, drugged driving crashes have increased by 25 percent over the last four years. You may have noticed new drugged driving statistics posted on highway signs across the state; these signs were designed to raise awareness about the growing problem here in Ohio. 130 of these electronic message boards have been implemented across the state to date.

In 2016, there have been over 3,500 drugged driving crashes, a number that equals around 33 percent of all impaired driving crashes. Around 4,000 drivers are killed each year with drugs in their systems. While ODOT doesn’t have a complete breakdown of the types of drugs are involved in these fatal crashes, knowing that drugs or a combination of drugs caused around one-third of all impaired driving crashes is enough to realize that action must be taken.

The difficulty with drugged driving is that it can be more difficult for law enforcement to recognize. Drunk drivers are generally easy to spot, but someone under the influence of drugs may display much less obvious signs and symptoms.

Talking to Employees about Impaired Driving

December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, and you know your employees will be out and about celebrating the season with friends and family.  Encourage them to make smart decisions while they are out celebrating. If your employees are driving a vehicle impaired in any way, they are putting not only their own lives at risk, but all those sharing the roadways with them. Have a conversation about the recent drug epidemic.

You should also consider implementing a corporate driver training program to educate them about safe driving techniques they might have little to no knowledge of – a lot may have changed since they first obtained their driver’s license!

It’s vital that employers implement these types of programs within their organizations, including addressing impaired driving.

The costs of setting up these programs can be minimal when you compare the cost an accident will incur to your company. Create a clear and concise policy regarding driver safety and communicate it to all employees.

When it comes to a policy regarding alcohol and/or drug use and working, OSHA provides a sample statement to implement company-wide, which says:

“(Name of Company/Organization) has a vital interest in maintaining safe, healthy, and efficient working conditions for its employees. Therefore, the consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs by any employee during “duty hours” is prohibited. Duty hours consist of all working hours, including break periods and on-call periods, whether on or off company premises. The consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs while performing company business or while in a company facility is prohibited.”

This can be the first step in talking to employees about working while impaired, and these rules should of course apply to employees who drive as part of their job.

There’s no time like the present to consider implementing a driving program for your employees.  Drive Team offers corporate driver training courses to teach your employees how to be responsible, safe drivers throughout the year. Leave us a comment below or tweet us @DriveTeamInc to let us know what types of programs have worked for your company.

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We’ve all heard the blaring sirens of an oncoming fire truck and have had to rush over to the side of the road to allow them the right of way. A fire truck is a huge vehicle that will take up the majority of the road, especially a smaller, two-lane road. We rely on these vehicles to rush to the safety of others, whether it’s to put out a fire or to attend to some other sort of emergency.

However, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), accidents involving fire trucks are on the rise. And because of the size of the vehicle, an accident with one of them can be catastrophic and more often than not even life-threatening.

Avoiding Fire Truck Accidents through Driver Training

Driver training for firefighters is vital to help avoid fire truck accidents. Some of the common reasons firefighters get involved in accidents include:

• The speed of the truck. A fire truck is most often required to travel at very high speeds on its way to the scene of a fire or accident. While this is necessary to save lives, it can put the firefighter driving the vehicle at high risk. The drivers can easily lose control of the truck if they aren’t properly trained.
• Congested roads. Depending on the city, some roads can be crowded with traffic at certain times, making it difficult for the firefighter to navigate through it.
• Not getting the right of way from other drivers. All drivers should learn that emergency vehicles like a fire truck, ambulance or police car has the right of way and should pull over to the side of the road to allow them to get by. However, some drivers don’t always adhere to this and since a fire truck driver expects them to, this could easily cause an accident.
• Debris or pedestrians in the road. If something or someone is in the path of the fire truck, this can cause a problem for the drivers if they aren’t able to move out of the way in time.
• Not following the rules properly. Even fire truck drivers are required to follow the rules of the road, like stopping at a traffic light or stop sign.

When firefighters have had proper, hands-on driver training, they will be less likely to be involved in an accident or pose a threat to other drivers sharing the road with them. DriveTeam’s Emergency Response Operations Courses (E.R.O.C) are designed to train firefighters in practical, hands-on driving utilizing squads and apparatus. Our mission is to raise firefighter’s skills and safety levels through classroom and hands-on driving for real world experience. Contact us today for more information.

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