No matter how long they have been driving or how “good” they think they are, emergency responders must still respect the limits to the safe operation of an emergency apparatus or a personal vehicle. At Thursday morning’s class, “Drive to Survive” Firefighter/EMT Chris Daly (Goshen Fire Department, West Chester, PA) addressed advanced topics that are not normally covered in basic driver training programs, especially those that relate directly to vehicle dynamics, crash causation, and common driver errors.
No matter how long they have been driving or how “good” they think they are, emergency responders must still respect the limits to the safe operation of an emergency apparatus or a personal vehicle. At Thursday morning’s class, “Drive to Survive” Firefighter/EMT Chris Daly (Goshen Fire Department, West Chester, PA) addressed advanced topics that are not normally covered in basic driver training programs, especially those that relate directly to vehicle dynamics, crash causation, and common driver errors.
One area covered was tires. Proper tire inflation and maintenance are essential for safety since the area of a tire that makes with the pavement is about the size of a hand. Underinflation and overinflation reduce that area of contact, and increase the possibility of a tire blowout. Daly also covered, among other items, roadway friction coefficients, rollover thresholds, critical curve speeds, and the proper handling of a tire blowout.
Chris Daly is a 20-year veteran of the fire service and a full-time police officer who specializes in the reconstruction of serious vehicle crashes. He lectures nationally on fire apparatus crash prevention and has presented the “Drive to Survive” seminar to more than 7,000 emergency responders nationwide. This is the sixth year he has presented the seminar at FDIC.
