Ambulance Drivers Get Special Training In La Grange From a Visiting Simulator

Fayette County EMS partnered with the Texas Association of Counties to hold training exercises for ambulance drivers this week in La Grange.

Don Courtney with the Texas Association of Counties conducted the training, which included a state-of-art driving simulator.

“My goal is to use the driving simulator to reduce cost to the county by reducing collisions and injuries to county drivers,” said Courtney.

Fayette County EMS Director Josh Vandever said he aims to provide the training once a year for all of his department’s ambulance drivers.

“It’s a step we take to make sure our people have the tools and knowledge to safely operate vehicles,” Vandever said.

The training involved a three-hour class covering emergency vehicle driving and safety. Then teams of two drivers spent an hour in the simulator. The simulator looked very much like a video game. Trainees sat in a car seat with a steering wheel, brake and gas pedals, gear shifter, gauges and controls for lights and sirens. Large computer screens took the place of the windshield and side windows.

Courtney went over three scenarios with each team in the simulator. First, each EMS employee drove in a straight line and were instructed to honk every time they saw a red vehicle or a pedestrian wearing red, which emphasized driver awareness. Next, the drivers had to navigate an ambulance downhill without brakes while vehicles and pedestrians crossed the street. The last simulation involved a timed ambulance call – the driver had to leave the station, turn on lights and sirens, and drive safely through traffic to arrive at the scene.

Courtney controlled the simulations from a computer terminal behind the driver. He tested drivers’ reactions by sending computer-generated pedestrians and vehicles into the ambulance’s path.

“Studies have shown that driver-training programs effectively reduce risks while educating drivers on safe-driving measures,” Courtney said. “Even professional drivers can slip into bad habits behind the wheel. The simulator training reinforces good driving habits that help improve employee safety and make them better prepared for the unexpected.”

Texas Association of Counties provided the training at no cost to Fayette County.