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Driver's Clearance
I am wondering how your department's clear members to drive and operate your trucks. I am from a volunteer department and it seems to problem with us. We do have standards, but it seems to be over looked by new members who think they can just jump in and go. What are your standard operating procedure on this topic.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joey "BigShow" De Piano on
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It is a problem just about every where the real ground the dept. can stand on is first off is making your SOG's
into SOP's that way failure to comply results in the officers ability to re enforce action, also placing something in the by laws helps as well,it is hard to set suspensions as vollies cause there may be a strain on the membership or due to low man power but you have to apply it if you aren't qualified and you drive automatic 30 days suspension and at least 1 year before being qualified is what we set. Another answer to it is to take in effect every year during electihe only on of officers elect an engineer for each piece of apparatus during their term they only drive being vollies yes there will be times an engineer doesn't show but having one for every piece solves the problem, by stating any engineer elect can drive any truck,the only other people able are former engineers or officers.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Stoltz on
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Our department requires that a member have demonstrated proficiency on a truck before they are placed on the drivers' list for that truck. This means being able to drive it; know where each piece of equipment is on it; and most importantly, be able to operate it competently under fire conditions. Drivers also have to have a driving record acceptable to our insurance company, and be at least 21 years of age.
I don't recall having this problem in our department, possibly because all new members are informed of the clearance procedures right from the start. I do know what would happen should this occur, and pity the person who does it.
I have to believe your chief needs to a) state the driver clearance policy to all members, particularly the new ones, and b) enforce it. A few weeks off for any member that violates this policy may send a clear message.
Over the past weekend, I was at a couple of incidents involving mutual aid; in both cases a pumper showed up and the driver did not know how to operate the pump! How embarrassing is that? What degree of confidence can we have in companies that allow this to happen?
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Permalink Reply by Barry Homyack on
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In my truck company, any new member must be in our company 2 years before he/she will be taught to drive out truck. We have an airal, which requires two drivers, one in the front and one in the back. First the person has to get passed on the tiler before they get trained to drive the front. This is done by our engineers and captain. The different people are taken out on drivinr training until they get passed to drive. Some people take more time then others, but that is OK. Other vol fire companies in town have there own company rules. But no one can just come in to any fire company in town and expect to drive right away, there is a waiting period in the different fire houses in town. But in all of our fire houses in town the captains and chief engineers do the passing of the people. Hope this helps you some.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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A driver who doesn't know how to operate the pump is not only embarrassing, but is downright dangerous. My department requires at least 21 years old, a minimum of 25 hrs drive time, 10 emergency responses, EVOC, plus pass a hands on pump operators test. Plus in Texas you should have a Class B Commercial License.
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When I say we take people out to get passed on the truck, they cannot operate anything on the truck unless thet are an engineer, or an officer. Now most of our officers drive the truck, but some don't. Before a person gets passed to drive we check them out thru our police dept to see if they have any points, or lose of license, because everyone is finger printed for investigation before they can even be considered to be members, as well as drivers. Our state of NJ tried to tell us that all drivers had to have a special class of license, and all the fire fighters in the state told the state they should shut down all of the fire companies because we would not get one. And guess who won, WE DID.
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Permalink Reply by firefighter1820 on
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Be the department for a year.Each truck has different hrs on it
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Permalink Reply by turk182 on
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In my department you have to take an EVOC class and then go out on training with the Head Engineer and with the chief before you are even allowed to drive our brush truck. Then you have to be cleared the same way for each Piece of equipment you want to operate.You are also trained on how to pump each piece of apparatus.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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My F.D. requires drivers to be FAE (fire apparatus engineer) certified (for vehicles with a pump), and know how to operate every piece of that vehicle. We have an extensive driver training program. If you're not checked off, you DON'T drive! Same goes for the ambulances, minimum EMT-B, and you've got to know where everything is in the back and in the outside compartments.
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Permalink Reply by Marc Hansen on
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Our department requires 10 hours drivers training for each of our vehicles. We have 5 drivers trainers and you are supposed to use as many different trainers as possible. After you acquire the hours a minimum of three trainers must agree that you are able to operate the equipment. That is then passed on to the chief who decides whether to give you an authorization card. PA law allows for an authrization card signed by the chief insted of getting a CDL license.
For the engine you are also required ten hours of pump training and to do a demo running the pump for the trainers and line/chief officers in addition to driving hours. The aerial also requires 10 hours of ladder operations and a demo of that to get cleared on the aerial. Our new SOG's also require a PA fire academy EVOC course every other year, and for random evaluations of drivers by the trainers in that two year period to be allowed to continue to drive.
One last requirement for all vehicels is 2 hours of truck familiarazation per unit. If your gonna drive it you better know how to pump it and know where and what the equipment is
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Permalink Reply by Justin Buck on
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at our dept. you have to pass a drivers ops. class before you can drive any of the trucks
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Permalink Reply by Tim on
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In our dept,must be member for 1 yr, Then you have to go on a list then you have driver training for 6 mths must take EVOC Training and pump ops I and II. Then be tested on the pumps.And must be a least 21yrs of age.
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Permalink Reply by anne potter on
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IN OUR DEPT MUST DRIVE THE TRUCK WITH OUR TRAINING MEMEBER THEN TO A REAL FIRE THEN SIGNED OFF ON THAT TRUCK... WE HAD A OLD 72 TANKER STANDARD.. THERE WAS ONLY THREE OF US WHO WAS ALLOWED TO DRIVE IT.. THE YOUNGER KIDS WERE NOT... IF YOU DRIVE A TRUCK YOU MUST NOW HOW TO RUN THAT TRUCK....
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