Brownwood Fire Department held a driver training workshop at Gordon Wood Stadium on Wednesday with 10 firemen, 9 of which are drivers for the department, attending the safety training workshop conducted by F.D. International of Fort Worth.
The workshop consisted of classroom time including lecture and video presentations along with actual driving of a fire truck which has been modified into a simulator to train drivers how to control the vehicle in adverse weather conditions of rain, sleet or ice.Brownwood Fire Chief Del Albright explained that the training was budgeted for and that the city manager Bobby Rountree was very much in favor of the training. This specialized training, according to Albright, cost the city less than $4000 for the 10 men who attended and was well worth it.
Albright stated that although recent budgets have been tight, Rountree remarked that he was “glad to see the guys getting driving training for these big trucks,” especially with the new and larger ladder truck the department added recently.
“This is the first time we have done this type of training. It’s a good opportunity for our drivers,” said Albright. “We are going to try to get this type of training every year.”
Wednesday morning F.D. International’s instructor Derek Pippin led a driving course which simulated driving the truck through narrow city streets with left and right turns. In the afternoon, the drivers were offered a driving course simulating driving over an overpass that was icy. Later the drivers would practice parallel parking the vehicle on ice. The truck’s special equipment allowed the instructor to put the truck into a slide which the driver had to react and correct. In a real life scenario, this will help the drivers to maintain their lane and not run into oncoming traffic, other nearby vehicles or pedestrians.
“We want to create bad conditions but in a controlled environment where it is safe,” said F.D. International owner Jeff Clifton. “We hope through the training that they’ll recall what they have learned when they are in that situation in real life.” He explained that the specialized training vehicle has an accelerometer on board and a button inside which can cause the safety stabilization arms to deploy. The instructor also has a brake of his own to help keep the training safe.
Clifton started up the company ten years ago as a firefighter who realized the need for such training in a controlled environment. He stated that he was a firefighter with Fort Worth Fire Department and a member of the DeCordova Volunteer Fire Department at the time. As the business grew, he had to leave the volunteer fire department and eventually realized he had to choose between his business and his professional firefighting career. He started with building the first simulator truck and now sells them worldwide. In fact, he has sold 30 vehicles worldwide. F.D. International, according to Clifton, offers many different firefighter specialty trainings including high angle rope rescue training and hazardous materials.
F.D. International trains firefighters all over the world, in countries such as Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Dubai, the Republic of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and all over the United States, according to Clifton. The training they offer consists of operations training, tech training, driving, ethics and more.
Pictured above is the simulator vehicle as it went into a slide which the driver skillfully corrected.
Below are more photos of the training.
Clifton leads a discussion on safety when driving to an emergency call and the liabilities involved.
Fire Driver Chad Hill takes a turn in the simulator.
