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soon2bemt

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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?
 
Im telling myself it can't be any harder then driving a humvee
 
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
 
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.....
 
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 :)
 
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
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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...
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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?
 
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
 
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.
 
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....
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
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.
Click to expand...

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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