Driver training program increases expertise and safety

摘要

Regardless of how thorough a department's training program may be, it can never be complete without a comprehensive driver training program. The Gwinnett County (GA) Department of Fire and Emergency Services recognized this in the very early 1990s. In 1991, Lieutenant Jeff Rice, an instructor with the Gwinnett Fire Academy, implemented what would eventually become one of the most comprehensive driver training programs in the fire service. The initial Relief Driver program consisted of a weeklong classroom session and one additional week of pump operations and driver training. Students were required to successfully complete the course prior to operating fire apparatus under emergency response conditions. This would set the stage for a program that would be revised and upgraded constantly over the next several years.