READY TO REACT
Lethbridge firefighter Daryl Thompson directs an ambulance driver through the pylons in a quick turn as part of professional driver training for new recruits Thursday at the Lethbridge Airport.
If you spotted an ambulance driving on a tarmac at the Lethbridge Airport Thursday afternoon, don’t be concerned. It was only a drill. Six new Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services recruits, with the final four set to run today, were being put through the paces of professional driver training, using a moderate speed track with ambulances and fire apparatus.
The training will prepare them for emergency responses on city streets and was designed to test them on their perception and reaction abilities, backing skills and maneuvring through a serpentine, said Chris Tomaras, Medical Training Officer for Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services.
“The recruits are going through an entire day on course through our driver training program that we’ve reestablished,” he said Thursday.
“The purpose of this exercise is for the recruits to read and react depending on the colour they see in the three lanes. There’s a red colour, which means that’s a no-go lane, a yellow lane which is a precautionary lane, and the green lane which is the lane they should select. There’s a number of different sequences we can put within the colour combinations. The recruits have to pass three qualifying runs.”
The LFD used to hold the driver training sessions at Exhibition Park, but realized they needed a bigger space that could handle fire apparatus and ambulances. Tomaras said they contacted Lethbridge Airport staff and “they were graciously accepting of our program.”
Ahead of the live-action training, recruits, including Jordan White, had a full day of classroom preparation. He says it helped prepare them for items such as taking corners, stopping and decision making.
“We’ve been practising driving the ambulance, doing some backing up of trailers, just practising the vehicles we’ll be driving and operating in the department,” White said.
“The ambulance is obviously a little bit bigger than a truck or a car, a little wider. It’s really important when we have patients in the back to make sure we can make it as smooth as good of a ride for the patient as well as our partner that’s working. Today’s been really good. I learned a lot. Definitely helped me to feel more comfortable.”