# driving



## soon2bemt (Aug 23, 2006)

Is it really that hard to learn to drive the ambulance and learn the feel of it....how long did it take most to feel comfortable?


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## Sineath02 (Aug 23, 2006)

Im telling myself it can't be any harder then driving a humvee


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## divinewind_007 (Aug 23, 2006)

every ambulance handles a little different. it will take you a bit to get comfortable...especially if you have never driven anything that big. just be careful and watch your mirrors... remember they dont stop on a dime, and most importantly watch out for the other drivers on the road...they are totally unpredictable when they see the lights and siren going.  you will be allright...just give it some time


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## soon2bemt (Aug 23, 2006)

I'm not really nervous-I've driven my dad's delivery truck for his work before-loaded with up to 2000 lbs of carpet-needless to say it is a bit bigger than an ambulance-but it's just I don't wanna curb the tires-people get a lot of :censored::censored::censored::censored: around here for it-just jokingly of course......But I feel like being new-and by the way I'm only 18 and will be the youngest in this district EVER______I will get even more-I know that everyone has to start somewhere though.....


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## MMiz (Aug 24, 2006)

The thing I was more scared about working as an EMT was driving the ambulance.  I didn't drive the first shift, and during the second my supervisor *made* me drive the thing.

It is FAR easier to drive than you would think.  It's just like driving a big SUV.  It takes longer to stop, and you may need more room to turn.  You need to watch out for blind spots, but you'll be fine.  As a driver with a pt in back I try to give the smoothest ride possible.  I don't gas it out of the light, and I try not to make any sudden stops.  My partners like it better that way


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## Jon (Aug 24, 2006)

divinewind_007 said:
			
		

> every ambulance handles a little different. it will take you a bit to get comfortable...especially if you have never driven anything that big. just be careful and watch your mirrors... remember they dont stop on a dime, and most importantly watch out for the other drivers on the road...they are totally unpredictable when they see the lights and siren going.  you will be allright...just give it some time


Yes... It is easier when you have 1 or 2 rigs that are "your trucks" because you get used to their quirks...

I have the disavandage of being a part-time employee and having a fleet of 20-30 ambulances, 10 paratransit vans, and a Ford Expidition. I'm expected to not crash ANY of them... it is bad form!

A word of advice... when you make a corner, watch the inside of the turn too... it is easy to make a tight left turn and clip a car or parking lot pole with the left side of the rig in front of the rear tire...

I don't drive rigs enough to be comfortable with my right front end... I often can't tell when I'm too close to something, so I ask my partner...

I am helped, however, by my Personal Vehicle... I drive a Crown Vic... so it isn't that much smaller.

Also - Running "hot" is a game in and of itself...


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## randyb (Aug 24, 2006)

Used to driving a 3/4 ton truck, crew cab, so the transition for me was minimal.  Also I think rural EMS has it a bit easier (We are about a rural as you can get.  i.e. more cows per square mile than people) in that we have more space to drive in than the urban ambulance monkey.


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## oldschoolmedic (Aug 24, 2006)

*the radio chatter is worse than driving*

What is to stop you from taking the unit, and your partner, out to a parking lot somewhere and practicing driving? Go practice, practice, practice. 
Take a basic EVOC course, or one of the insurance underwriter's courses. 
You will find going forward is easy, but backing through cones, while being told they are someone's children, can be a wee bit unnerving. 
Just remember, if your mirrors go through, the box will follow, but remember to look up.  
Use a ground guide/backer if you are unsure. 
Check the area you are pulling into, make sure you will fit.
If it feels wrong, it probably is. Let your partner drive.
Speed does not save lives, but it sure as poop will take 'em.
Lights and sirens do not make you collision proof, they make you a distraction.
Set the example for your community, always wear a seatbelt, obey the traffic laws.


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## Jon (Aug 24, 2006)

My part-time epployer has a 6-page "driving policy" - Termination is automatic on the first offense for failure to wear a seatbelt or stop at a red light.

you must ALWAYS use a spotter while backing.


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## VinBin (Aug 24, 2006)

soon2bemt, they let you drive when you are only 18? Here, they wont let anyone under 20 drive, and in some places its 21 I believe. Im thinking Ill just get my Medic license by then, and by that time, I wont need to drive anymore. So I can probably get through my whole EMS career without ever driving.

But saying I do drive one day, the thing that bothers me the most is estimating the front of the ambulance, you know how much distance I can give without ramming into someone in front of me, any tips?


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## Ridryder911 (Aug 24, 2006)

We do not hire or employ anyone less than age 23 (insurance purposes) and they must attend the 3 week EVOC orientation class, prior to being released for driving, then evaluated by the FTO while under their 6 month probation time.

R/r 911


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## Kendall (Aug 24, 2006)

Here in Edmonton, it used to be you had to be 25 before applying for EMR... And you have to have a class 4 liscence (here, Class 4 is Ambulance, Taxi or Small Bus (under 24 seated passengers, not including the driver)). Now, you can do EMR with a class 5 (standard driving liscense) and you must have a Class 4 w/ EVOC and DDP (Defensive Driving Protocalls) approval from the provincial and federal governments and be 18 to apply for an EMT-A course. So long as you have the accreditations you're good to go. I havn't yet heard of a service who doesn't have their own course for new EMT's to complete.


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## soon2bemt (Aug 24, 2006)

The district here has it's own "driver's training".....That's what our three 12 hr orientation days are for.....we basically drive everywhere....


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## emtwannabe (Aug 24, 2006)

As an owner of a full sized custom Ford van, what works for me is if I can still see the the bottom of the tires on the vehicle in front of me, that will give me plenty of wiggle room. 

Might work for you, might not. Any other suggestions?


Jeff


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## Jon (Aug 24, 2006)

When I was deployed to Louisana in the wake of Katrina for my part-time employer, some employees out of other units were suprised that I, as a 20-year-old, could drive.

I had EVOC at 18... I was driving since just after my 19th birthday.


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## MariaCatEMT (Aug 24, 2006)

*I took EVOC last year, despite not actually being on an ambulance service. Excellent class. Also, my volunteer fire department participated in a driving course sponsered by our insurance under-writers  and was attended by several mutual aid companies. By the time they were done with us....we could back our fire engines through a cone maze....I used a ground guide though as a safety measure and it's department policy anyway. Learning to rely TOTALLY on mirrors was tough for me, so I stuck with the ground guide.*


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## MMiz (Aug 24, 2006)

Our service will hire anyone 18 or older, and they're allowed to drive with *no* training.  We used to have yearly EVOC training and had to pass a test and course, but that stopped after a while.  It's sad really.


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## HFD EMS (Aug 24, 2006)

randyb said:
			
		

> Used to driving a 3/4 ton truck, crew cab, so the transition for me was minimal.  Also I think rural EMS has it a bit easier (We are about a rural as you can get.  i.e. more cows per square mile than people) in that we have more space to drive in than the urban ambulance monkey.




i completely agree...i drive an F-250 ext. cab diesel and we are a rural EMS service so the transition was pretty easy for me.


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## JDFEMS (Aug 25, 2006)

ALL great advice..SLOW SLOW SLOW!!! If you think you won't fit, you won't!! The best piece of advice that *I* was given (we have type 2's and Type 1's) was to remember that you are driving a HUGE Bilboard. It is also a Giant Insurance Target!!  I found out that If I go out there with the opinon that I am not only 100% responsible for ANY accident that happans to my rig, but I am 100% financially responsible as well, it helps me to think twice about trying to make that tight turn or when selecting a parking space.


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## ffemt8978 (Aug 25, 2006)

JDFEMS said:
			
		

> I am not only 100% responsible for ANY accident that happans to my rig, but I am 100% financially responsible as well, it helps me to think twice about trying to make that tight turn or when selecting a parking space.



We tell all of our drivers the same thing but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.

One of our rigs was transporting a critical patient to the hospital, Code 3.  Driver was proceeding through an intersection, WITH the light, and was t-boned by a vehicle that ran the red light.

On one corner of the intersection was a local fire truck (not our department), and on another was a city cop; both of whom witnessed the accident.


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## HFD EMS (Aug 25, 2006)

Oh and with that note make sure that you clear your intersection atleast twice because you never know what idiot is going to pull out infront of you because they think they are in more of a hurry than a major trauma pt that is coding.  Common Sense Never Seems to Prevail.:sad:


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## Tincanfireman (Aug 26, 2006)

We used to take all our new people and strap them on a long board, load them into the rig and take them on a nice long code 3 ride around the community college parking lot on a Saturday morning.  The drivers were the experienced medics and EMT's who'd been doing it for awhile and had experienced most of the usual stuff.  Made a lasting impression on the student care-givers in the back, as well as the "patients" (everyone got to do both roles at least once).


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## fm_emt (Aug 26, 2006)

Tincanfireman said:
			
		

> We used to take all our new people and strap them on a long board, load them into the rig and take them on a nice long code 3 ride around the community college parking lot on a Saturday morning.  The drivers were the experienced medics and EMT's who'd been doing it for awhile and had experienced most of the usual stuff.  Made a lasting impression on the student care-givers in the back, as well as the "patients" (everyone got to do both roles at least once).



We got to do that around the FD training yard. They also had us practice CPR on a gurney in the back of the rig while they drove around like farkin' maniacs. Those CPR dummies that give you feedback are pretty cool. ;-D


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## Jon (Aug 26, 2006)

ffemt8978 said:
			
		

> We tell all of our drivers the same thing but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.
> 
> One of our rigs was transporting a critical patient to the hospital, Code 3.  Driver was proceeding through an intersection, WITH the light, and was t-boned by a vehicle that ran the red light.
> 
> On one corner of the intersection was a local fire truck (not our department), and on another was a city cop; both of whom witnessed the accident.


This happened to us TODAY...

The whole front end of the rig is trashed... bottom half of the bumper is leaning against the back wall of the bay... etc.


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## MMiz (Aug 27, 2006)

I like the idea of strapping the new medic to a backboard and coding them around, so they get a feel for it.

I also love my partners who would say "clear right" and verbalize the intersections with me.

We'd approach and I'd say "Clear left, clear front" and they'd check the right and verbalize.  I'd still check the right, but it was nice to know that they were looking out for me.  We also had a STOP! command that we both understood would involve an immediate stop, no matter how hard.

It's still hard coding on an ambulance with the RLS.  I'd like to start a public education campaign, but I never got around to it.


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## Celtictigeress (Aug 27, 2006)

Our company will hire 18 and older, but due to insurance policys noone under the ag of 23 is permitted to drive...we have one guy that is 22 years old, we use him to do our paperwork ha ha ha...getting him experianced in the RAL world of emt as far as all the legalities go....


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## MedicPrincess (Aug 27, 2006)

FIRST AND FOREMOST.....There is NO SHAME in hitting a Fire Truck.  None.  If they park all screwed up, how do they expect you NOT to hit them.....

Okay...seriously though...

If the light is red, stop. Even if your going emergency response. Do not ever blow through any intersection. Even when you have everyone coming stopped, as your creep through that intersection, be prepared for some idiot on a cell phone or otherwise not paying attention to pull in front of you because they have the green.

Do your best not to give up the left lane when driving emergency. The second you decide to go around someone on the right, whether at an intersection or going down the road, somebody will remember the "Pull to the right" rule and yank their vehicle right in front of you.

Don't chat on your cell phone while driving. Any type of driving, but especially while driving with those lights and sirens on. Its hard enough getting through intersections, watching out for the other guy, listening to your partner give you directions to the call/ or if you have mine to look at the map book when she says "See, its right here", listening to the dispatch information, not running little dogs over, watching out for the curb, using some of those emergency manuevers when the car in front of you deploys their protective bubble that prevents you from hitting them as they come to a complete stop in the middle of the road, and mentally prepare for the child in cardiac arrest or unknown medical or whatever it is that you are going to. Just PUT THE CELL PHONE AWAY!!

Remember, when your driving and their is a patient in the back, whatever your feeling up front, they are feeling 10 fold back there. Take it easy on the stops, start slowly, turn corners even slower. Its a bad day for everyone when the medic looses their tube or ends up on their butt because you took a corner at 20 MPH and that was to fast.

and it couldn't have been said better than to practice. Lots of practice. Go to a parking lot and drive your partner around with them in the back. Then switch, so you get the feel. Have your expierienced partner give you a really smooth ride, and then intentionally give you a horrible ride.

Practice. and Practice some more.

OH..and know how tall your unit is.  That way you don't drive under the awning at a nursing home and get stuck.


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## FF894 (Aug 28, 2006)

We have a department driving instructor that takes all newbies out for training.  Once signed off by the driving instructor, you still need to be signed off to drive by your crew chief.  

I have my CDL so its like driving a radio flyer wagon to me B)


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