This week’s Station Life
addresses the ins and outs, down and back and around and around of the 2013
Emergency Vehicles Operation Course.
As part of our yearly training
program all members of the department attend an Emergency Vehicle Operations
Course, also known as EVOC. The course is composed of a classroom portion
followed by a driving test. The classroom lecture covers a wide variety of
topics ranging from departmental policies and state laws to liability and the
physics of something the size of a fire engine traveling down a roadway.
Firefighters are instructed in proper placement of an apparatus once they
arrive on scene and what emergency procedures to follow should an issue arise
while responding to a call. Accidents involving fire apparatus from across the
country are examined and students discuss what actions could have been taken to
prevent them. The lecture typically lasts all morning and after a brief break
for lunch the class moves to the drill field to demonstrate their abilities
behind the wheel of a fire truck.
The driving portion of EVOC is
composed of 6 stations which are designed to simulate real world driving
conditions and skills that someone driving a fire engine must be able to safely
perform. Once a driver begins the driving test, they complete each station in
sequence without stopping. The evolution is timed, but speed is far from the
most important factor. Drivers must avoid striking the cones, as they simulate
other vehicles or buildings. Being a safe driver is much more important than
being a fast one. Firefighters are a competitive bunch, so bragging rights are
definitely on the line. No one wants to be the one who mows down the most
cones!
The test begins with the fire
engine parked in front of a simulated alley of cones. The cones are not spaced
much farther apart than the width of the engine itself. This will be a common
theme during the test, as each obstacle is just large enough for a skilled
driver to complete it without being so large as to become easy.
Drivers must be able to negotiate
this obstacle by driving down to the end, stopping and then backing down the
alley without striking the cones.
Once the engine has been safely
backed out of the alley, the driver enters a box of cones and completes a three
point turn. Something that the average driver probably completes without
thinking is greatly complicated when performed in a fire engine, since you
can’t just put your arm across the passenger seat and look over your shoulder.
Once the driver completes his
turn around, he exits the box and tackles what is known as the alley dock. If
you’ve ever seen an 18 wheeler backed into the loading dock at the grocery
store, you know what this looks like. The driver demonstrates spatial awareness
and understanding of where the rear of his truck is, even if he can’t see it.
Completing the alley dock leads to the slalom course. Firefighters must back
the engine around three cones, then reverse course and drive forward through
them. Both this skill and the alley dock come in handy when positioning fire
engines at a crowded scene. Once again, a fair degree of skill is needed as
well as finesse to navigate the obstacle without striking a cone.
Upon exiting the slalom course
the driver takes the engine around the training tower and navigates through the
lane change evolution.
This tests a driver’s ability to
adapt to sudden changes in traffic as well as obstacles in the roadway. After
getting through the first set of cones, the driver must quickly shift the
direction of the engine and enter the next, offset cones.
At this point the driver is
almost home free. All that remains is to get the engine turned around yet again
and enter the diminishing alley obstacle. These cones test the driver’s ability
to navigate a narrowing field and requires the operator to stop within a certain
distance of the final cone. The driver’s view of this cone becomes obstructed
by the dashboard and front bumper as they get closer and closer. As you can
tell from the test, it is very important for a driver to be aware of the size
of a fire engine and how it fits into the environment around it, even though
there are numerous blind spots around the apparatus.
Once the driver sets the parking
brake, their test is done and it’s time for someone else to take a turn. There
is nothing easy about driving a fire engine, and this test is designed to
ensure that all BFR drivers possess the necessary skills to safely deliver the
apparatus and its assigned firefighters to an emergency without causing one
themselves!
