DRIVER TRAINING
EMERGENCY VEHICLE OPERATIONS
Driver Training & Safety
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.
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Responsibilities of the Emergency Vehicle Operator
Understanding Your Role and Preparing To Drive
The driver of an emergency service vehicle carries heavy responsibilities for the safety of his vehicle, his partners, and other vehicles and pedestrians along his route. He must be constantly aware of these responsibilities and have his vehicle under control at all times. He must be familiar with the traffic laws, particularly those that apply to him and his specialized driving capacity.
He must recognize his limitations, and those of other drivers on the road and realize the other driver or pedestrian may not. Therefore, he must always be prepared for the unexpected to happen.
The emergency vehicle driver must possess fine coordination in controlling his vehicle and reacting to traffic problems. He cannot drive faster than traffic permits, nor should he drive faster than his ability to stop in an emergency.
The right of way given to an emergency does not relieve him of his
responsibility for the safety of all other users of the streets. The law allows certain exemptions to emergency drivers while responding with flashing lights and sirens, or similar devices. But it does not overlook any arbitrary use of these rights when such use endangers the life or property of others.
Excessive speed, reckless driving, failing to slow down or obey signals, disregarding traffic rules and regulations, and failing to heed warning signals are often prime factors in such emergency vehicle accidents.
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DRIVER TRAINING COURSES
EVOC
Emergency Vehicle Operators Course
This course is a 3-part course following the DOT Guidelines and Curriculum
Module A contains 16 hours of classroom instruction with 10 separate lesson guides to cover the basic knowledge required for ambulance operators. Including checklist, request forms, hand signals, and test questions.
Module B takes the training to a driving range where participants practice ambulance operator skills. There are 10 exercises in this module with directions on how to set up the exercises and rate a participant’s performance.
Module C builds on the knowledge and skills the participant learned in the first two modules. A participant begins a series of supervised on-the-job training sessions.
AVOC
Ambulance Vehicle Operators Course
AVOC is the DOT course designed specifically for EMS agencies that would like their employees to be trained in driving techniques for ambulances only. This course ONLY focuses on type 1, type 2 and type 3 ambulance, and their safe operation in both an emergency and non-emergency situation. This course has the ability to add the medium-duty and heavy-duty ambulance for an additional two hours. This course is broken into 2 parts…..
Module A contains 6-8 hours of classroom instruction to cover the basic knowledge of ambulance operations in both an emergent and non-emergent situation.
Module B consists of taking the students out on a cones course for a series of evolutions that will test the driver’s ability to handle each type of ambulance. This consists of 6-8 evolutions with an evaluation at the end of the driver’s performance.
EVOC Refresher
EVOC Driver Safety Refresher Training
Refresher: This course is designed to be a 6-8 hour refresher training for EMS agencies to provide employees remedial training or agencies who require a refresher in EVOC or AVOC operations.
Remedial: This course can also be used to help those who may struggle to be comfortable behind the wheel of an emergency vehicle or for those who have had an incident behind the wheel of an emergency vehicle. This course includes some classroom time and some cone course time. This class can vary in structure depending on the needs of the students in the session.
Train-the-Trainer Courses
EVOC Train-the-Trainer Course
This 10-hour course is designed for EVOC and AVOC instructors to learn how to teach their proctors and assistant instructors on how to properly assist their lead instructors and students. This course will teach them how to assist in both the classroom setting and on the range and the responsibilities that come with this position.
This course requires future assistant instructors to participate in teaching portions of the classroom lectures. It also requires them to set up portions of the cone course and oversee its operation and safety concerns. This must be under the observation of an instructor trainer.
THIS COURSE REQUIRES RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE ORGANIZATION
EVOC Train-the-Trainer Coach Level Trainer
An intermediate level to help in the training process of our EVOC and AVOC courses are becoming a “Coach”. Those current in their certification working towards being a coach only need to participate in the cone-course instruction under an assistant instructor or instructor and be proctored for their knowledge in driving skills and communication with the student drivers. These hours may also go towards the instructional time to advance to the instructor level. This course typically runs 8 hours.
Concerning statistics confirms the need to have trained, safer drivers on the road
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.
CERTIFIED COURSES
All EVOC courses are conducted following the Department of Transportation (DOT) national standard curriculum and approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines.
All participants who successfully complete all phases of each course will receive a DOT course completion certificate.
The goal of EVOC is to reduce the incidence of emergency vehicle crashes, while increasing driver safety.
Course Information
- Request the date for next class.
- Schedule a class for your agency.
- Get group pricing/discounts.
- Host a class with priority for your employees.
- Host agencies receive special rates.
Concerning statistics confirms the need to have trained, safer drivers on the road
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.