Investing in an emergency vehicle operations course saves lives

In the U.S., there are 45,000 ambulances, 400,000 police vehicles, and 150,000 fire trucks active. All of these vehicles have drivers who must balance speed and safety to ensure they are saving lives instead of taking them.

This pressure can influence their driving abilities, potentially putting people in danger. This concern is exactly why you must invest in an emergency vehicle operations course.

Learn how a single course can save lives.

Different dangers first responders face while driving

Most people do not think that driving is a danger that first responders face. However, driving can be as much of a threat as fires, guns, and unpredictable patients for first responders. In 2022 alone, 224 people died in collisions with emergency vehicles. Of those deaths:

• 50% were in non-emergency vehicles
• 22% were pedestrians
• 16% were emergency vehicle drivers
• 8% were passengers in the emergency vehicle

Police vehicles had the most fatal accidents, with 149 out of 224. Ambulance accidents caused 40 deaths, and fire trucks caused the remaining 35.

Other distracted drivers

Training first responders to avoid such collisions is difficult due to the various uncontrollable environmental factors that occur on the road. For example, distracted driving by other drivers is a tremendous problem.

Studies show that when first responders are doing their job on the road:

• 71% of drivers take photos and videos when they see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road.
• 24% of drivers will take photos and videos of emergency vehicles while still driving.
• 16% of drivers admitted to hitting or almost hitting an emergency vehicle due to distracted driving.

Aggressive driving behaviors

One study examining different factors of emergency vehicle crashes found that first responders’ driving behavior is a cause of concern.

Many emergency responders develop bad driving habits like speeding and aggression due to emergency urgency, even when not in an emergency. This causes unnecessary speeding and aggressive driving every day.

Driving first responders can also develop “Siren Syndrome” which is when an emergency driver starts to feel invincible when the sirens and lights are blaring. This causes an increase in poor behaviors because drivers assume other drivers will move out of their way. But according to distracted driving statistics in the previous section, the opposite happens and therefore causes collisions.  

Multitasking

Technically, all first responders are distracted drivers the moment they are dispatched. They must not only drive the vehicle but also listen to various communications to arrive at the right location. Additionally, the pressure of trying to save lives can be a distraction in and of itself.

A solid example of how multitasking while driving can cause trouble for first responders is sirens. A study found that crash risk rates increase when ambulances use their lights and sirens. When an ambulance responds to an emergency without sirens, the crash rate is 4.6 per 100,000. With sirens, it increases to 5.5 per 100,000.

The crash risk rate grows even higher when a victim is in an ambulance with lights and sirens—reaching 16.5 per 100,000.

Various other dangerous factors

Other uncontrollable factors of driving an emergency vehicle include:

• Weather conditions
• Types of roads
• Traffic
• Visibility
• Time of day
• Human error

Specialized skills required for each type of first responder

Officers, firefighters, and EMTs each have unique skills needed for their job besides driving.

Driving needs to be instinctual for law enforcement officers 

An officer’s relationship with driving differs from that of a firefighter or EMT. Whether racing to a crime scene or pursuing suspects, an officer’s vehicle is an extension of themselves. Pursuit driving highlights how comfortable an officer needs to be with driving. They must avoid hazards while always having an eye on the suspect they are pursuing.

Even in non-pursuit situations, law enforcement officers must be able to coordinate with other officers so everyone arrives at a scene fully prepared and on the same page.

While driving, officers often need to think about logistics like:

• Where to park
• How to secure the scene
• Whether additional help from an ambulance will be needed
• How best to apprehend the suspect

Firefighters constantly compensate for a higher center of gravity

Firefighters have the unique experience of driving a large and long vehicle. The same study examining different factors of emergency vehicle accidents points out that large, heavy emergency vehicles have a higher center of gravity.

Their size and weight create more momentum, making turns or braking in time more challenging. Additionally, equipment like a water tank with water sloshing can throw a firetruck off balance, which the driver needs to compensate for.

Like officers, firefighters also review logistics while driving. Unlike officers, who are often alone or only with a partner, firefighters will be talking with many other firefighters, who may be in the truck or already at the scene.

EMTs need to balance speed with safety

While all first responders face life-or-death situations, EMTs interact with individuals in the middle of life-or-death situations. The EMT driving has to focus on driving and communicating with nurses at the hospital while knowing there are people behind him working on a patient. There is also the factor of whether the patient is being compliant and how that can affect driving.

Like a fire truck, an ambulance is a bulky vehicle requiring specialized skills to handle. EMTs need to be able to execute various maneuvers and weave through traffic since hospitals tend to be in populated areas.

What you get with Driver Training Solutions (DTS) Emergency Vehicle Operations Course

When you invest in an emergency vehicle operations course from DTS, you are not just purchasing a curriculum. You are partnering with a team of experts with real-world experience as emergency personnel.

We will not hand you a list of classes and exercises to complete.

Instead, we work with you to create a course that works specifically for your team. We evaluate your drivers, identify shared strengths and weaknesses, and consider improvements to your current training program to address these areas of concern.  

Courses for new drivers

DTS offers customization options that allow users to create training courses geared toward new drivers who need to strengthen their basic driving skills. This type of training is especially useful when operating emergency vehicles since they have a higher center of gravity.

Courses for experienced drivers

Expert drivers must keep their skills sharp, too. Despite having experience, drivers may develop bad habits or need refresher courses. Our training programs feature a sliding difficulty scale, challenging veteran drivers and sharpening their existing skills.

Lessons to improve trainer skills

Drivers are not the only ones who could benefit from refining their skills. Training sessions are only as good as the trainers, so our courses include a Train-the-Trainer certification course. We want to ensure that excellent training is a standard across your organization.

Realistic training examples

We utilize our team members’ experiences as first responders to design realistic situations that can occur during emergency runs. Our course offers situations like weaving through heavy traffic, pursuing suspects, and taking turns with large vehicles.

DTS trainers and technicians

You are not alone while implementing your new emergency vehicle operations course. When you use our driver training service, you gain access to trainers and technicians to support your course implementation.

Safe environment

When partnered with our police simulator, PatrolSim™, and our ambulance and firetruck driving simulator, FireSim™, you receive realistic training in a safe environment.

Using a simulator allows drivers to make mistakes that do not result in injuries or damage to vehicles. Our simulators provide real-time feedback and mimic driving an emergency vehicle through our force feedback system in the steering column.

Also, DTS emergency vehicle simulators have additional tools each type of responder will need to use while on the road to practice multitasking.

Instructors can alter the weather, time of day, and the level of traffic and pedestrians on the road to suit each session. These adjustments will enhance decision-making skills and spatial awareness.

Invest in your first responders’ safety with an operational course

Being a first responder is not easy, but you can make the job safer by investing in an emergency vehicle operations course. The first responders on your team can feel more confident on the road and secure in their decision-making, which are crucial skills in life-or-death situations.