Before a firetruck rolls out, its driver has completed hours of classroom and behind the wheel training.
"They start with the engines first, then they'll graduate to the ladders.", says Roanoke Fire-EMS Chief David Hoback.
Roanoke Fire-EMS Chief David Hoback says after successfully completing the emergency vehicle course, for their first year on the job rookies don't drive anywhere unsupervised and never drive during an actual emergency.
"They'll come and take our trucks if they're going downtown to do a pre fire plan, or if they're going out to do a service call the probationary employees will drive non emergency to get comfortable with that large piece of apparatus.", says Hoback.
In Roanoke City three people are required in the truck at all times, that way the driver only has to focus on driving. There's someone else to worry about the radio and the siren.
However, firefighting is a full time job for city firefighters. With our small, local, volunteer departments it's not unusual to only have one firefighter in a truck, according to Bedford County Deputy Chief Lee Day.
Day tells us volunteer firefighters complete the same emergency vehicle training at paid firefighters. He also says if a firefighter in Bedford County gets a traffic ticket, that firefighter might lose driving privileges.
Hoback says Roanoke City will not take recruits with bad driving records. A Roanoke City firefighter will lose his of her job for a DUI and possibly for reckless driving.
Roanoke Fire-EMS was recently awarded a FEMA grant that is paying for a driving simulator. It will arrive this summer. It's designed to look and feel like the cab of a firetruck. Recruits can practice how to drive the trucks and avoid accidents in a video game environment, before their behind the wheel training. The simulator can be set up to mimic firetrucks, police cruisers, ambulances and regular cars that city employees might drive. The simulator will be located at the regional training facility and will be used by Roanoke City, Roanoke County and Salem. Chief Hoback says volunteer agencies in our area are also welcome to use it.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement