Best Practices in Emergency Vehicle Safety Self Assessment

The result of this work effort is a series of "Best Practices in Emergency Vehicle Safe Operation" that can be evaluated by Emergency Service Organizations (ESOs) and implemented as they deem necessary and appropriate. ESOs should not ignore our most obvious risk and must take the steps to prevent loss.

Best Practices are defined as certain themes that have emerged in recent years which help characterize a situation. Generally these include:

• Acquiring knowledge obtained by experience,
• The solving of a problem,
• Being a meaningful initiative,
• An in-depth inquiry of a specific issue, and
• Being related to independent learning.

As we identify the "Best Practices In Emergency Vehicle Safety", we find ten (10) key "practices". These practices couple known loss exposures, practical tools and techniques to manage risk and loss, and realistic management practices to create an approach that will help you manage risk and loss in your emergency service organization. The 10-Point program represent business, emergency service and management applications that are known to work to manage your investments and loss dollars. They work together and require coordination, but more importantly demonstrate management commitment to the program.

Download the PDF file of the "Best Practice Self Assessment" Chart.
Download the PDF file of the "Best Practice Self Assessment" Product Chart.

Best Practice #1 – Responsible Person
Any effective program starts with the commitment from management to the program. A person must be assigned (or elected) to lead that program. This individual must have interest in seeing the program succeed. They then should advocate to the organization for the program, and have the necessary authority and responsibility to make the program successful. This process pushes the practical responsibility for the program to the lowest level of the organization and drives behaviors to assure losses are minimized. In business, this "responsible person" many times has the responsibility for losses that adversely affect the organization and affects their ultimate income. In the volunteer service, if funding has to be spent on vehicle issues instead of incentives, protective equipment or other needs, theresponsible person loses stature and value to the organization.

Best Practice #2 – Collision Investigation
Conducting collision investigations and near-miss investigations gives you a method of identifying what caused a collision and what actions need to be taken to prevent the collision from occurring in the future. These investigations are not conducted to fix blame for the loss, but to identify direct and indirect causes to prevent the incident from occurring again. Positive attitudes focused on this problem minimizes emotional impact.

Best Practice #3 – Loss Analysis
Periodically, but no less than annually, all losses, incidents, and near misses need to be analyzed to identify trends. The trend identification will help determine loss prevention needs, program type needs, and appropriate action plans, which hopefully will prevent future incidents. In addition, this type of activity will enable you to develop benchmarks to which you can establish objectives and comparison of future progress. Record keeping is imperative to assure quality loss analysis.

Best Practice #4 – Regulatory and Statute Compliance
Compliance with local, state, and national regulations and statutes is mandatory as the failure to comply places the organization in potential conflicts that may result in serious adverse financial, operational, and legal situations. Appropriate driver’s license and insurance requirements must be met by all drivers, including privately owned vehicles..

Best Practice #5 – Training
Training is the important first step to understanding the requirements of any "Best Practice". Over time, the members must be trained in a variety of issues and at multiple levels, but it should all be motivated by the expectations set by the officers – the "Best Practices/Standard Operating Procedures/Standard Operating Guidelines". Training should be identified, developed and implemented to assure that the drivers know their proper duties and expectations is to be as efficient and safe as possible when operating the ESO’s equipment. This includes basic and periodic refresher training, including a specific emergency vehicle operations course (EVOC), a review of Standard Operating Procedures/Standard Operating Guidelines affecting vehicle operation, personal accountability. As the driver/operator, they must have an understanding of each vehicle’s design, operations, and limitations, and a special course on each new vehicle placed into service by the ESO.

The instruction should, over time, integrate classroom, hands-on, and simulation (if available), and an over the road test. These multiple training initiatives suggest the need for a comprehensive driver training program.

In every situation though, if no action is taken when poor driving behaviors are observed, the driver/operator will continue the "bad habit".

Best Practice #8 – Hot Topics
"Hot topics" occur periodically, usually emanating from unique situations, losses, new regulations, deaths or serious injury; any of which requires a timely communication of specific information. Generally, these topics are communicated by emails, newsletters, faxes, or training programs. Current "Hot Topic" initiatives in emergency services include personally owned vehicle safe operation, use of seat belts, intersection safety, rollover safety, operating safely at incidents on highways, and collisions of other ESOs. The concept of "highway safety" has achieved significant exposure resulting in National Institute of Safety and Health (NIOSH) safety criteria, expanding advanced warning, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) protective equipment standards, and more – to limit injuries and save lives.

Best Practice #9 – Report Incidents
Timely reporting of incidents is a critical component of the loss management sequence to assure the injured are treated and to assure details are not forgotten. This includes both a process and employee training component to teach drivers what to do when an incident occurs. This is done to make certain the injured parties are treated promptly and properly, treated fairly and compassionately, and directed to a physician or facility with the same interests in assuring quality care with the least amount of inconvenience and cost.

Best Practice #10 – Apparatus and Vehicle Design and Construction
ESOs are quick to try to design unique apparatus for their community. Unfortunately very few ESO personnel are design engineers and truly understand the impact of their requests for what a piece of apparatus can do or what it can hold. Once you have developed the tasks and performance demands the vehicle will have, inform the design engineers of your requirements and let them tell you what the vehicle will be like. Place the responsibility for the design and construction on the manufacturer, don’t assume that yourself or for your organization. In recent years vehicles have become bigger, faster, heavier, and easier to maneuver. Without the proper understanding of the differences in stopping distance, center of gravity (and rollover potential), and safe maneuvering practices, an incident is highly probable in your future.