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The Lebanon Rescue Department sponsored a regional ambulance vehicle operators course (AVOC) class during the weekend of November 21, 2009. The training class was held at the Lebanon Rescue Station and across the street at Profile Stateline Auto Center on Carl Broggi Highway in South Lebanon.

Students from several communities, including Lebanon, Alfred, Old Orchard, Scarborough, Shapleigh and Newfield attended the class.

Any operator of an ambulance in the State of Maine is required by state law to attend the training. This training was taught by primary instructor Glen Willette and several assistant instructors.

Students spent the morning session at the station going over safe ambulance operations, motor vehicle laws, patient and responder safety in the ambulance and proper maintenance and inspection techniques. The class spends a lot of time on the importance of ambulance maintenance and checking the ambulance out. The class also spends a lot of time talking about motor vehicle laws and that the ambulance drivers still need to follow all the driving laws and drive with due regard. The students learn about how ambulances get in accidents, and statistics like 65% of all ambulance accidents result in severe damage and serious injuries or fatalities. In total, there are 189 slides of information that the students are taught during the classroom portion.

In the afternoon, students had practical sessions using an ambulance from Lebanon and Shapleigh. Students had different driving scenarios, driving forward and backwards between traffic cones, backing into different designated areas and more.

“The important thing that the instructors teach is that the driver of the ambulances is responsible for multiples lives, the patients and the medics working on the patient. Back several years ago, we used to transport a majority of the patients to the hospital with lights and sirens. After reviewing safety data and reviewing national data on ambulance accidents, we changed our policy and now most transports to the hospital are no lights and no sirens. For the past twelve months, the ambulance responded to the hospital 92% of the time with no lights or sirens, 6% with lights and sirens, 1% started with lights, downgraded to no lights and 1% started with no lights and upgraded to lights and siren. That is a huge change from what has been done in the past nationwide.” Chief Samantha Cole added.

After passing the state certification class, members return to their own departments to continue training.

“Our department has a policy that you must be 21 years old to operate the town’s apparatus. After obtaining the AVOC Certification, the new driver is partnered with a senior driver operator and they do several hours of driving. They then go through a department certification with the lieutenants and captains to ensure they know not only know how to drive the apparatus, but they know where the equipment is on the ambulance and how to get to multiple hospitals. Until the driver is comfortable and the officers are comfortable, they cannot drive with a patient on board.” Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole added.

“We make sure that the drivers know they are more than just ambulance drivers. They are responsible for everyone on board. Driving an ambulance is very stressful at times, you may have 3 or 4 EMT’s in the back working on a patient who is in cardiac arrest, but you need to stay calm and use your training to get to the hospital safely. In the seven years that I have served as the chief of the department, I think I have received maybe 3-4 calls about concerns about how the operation of the ambulance was handled. When you respond to 600-700 calls a year, we take each complaint very seriously and investigate them, but that’s a pretty good sign that the drivers are doing an excellent job.” Chief Samantha Cole added.

The Lebanon Rescue Department would like to remind motorists that when they see an emergency vehicle coming up behind them or approaching them, they must pull to the right and stop. When approached (from the front or rear) by an emergency vehicle whose light and siren are activated the driver of every other vehicle must yield the right of way. In yielding the right of way, you must drive immediately to the right hand edge or curb of the roadway, parallel to the roadway, and clear of any intersection. You must stop and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle or vehicles have passed. Always look to make sure that there was only one emergency vehicle, as often times multiple emergency vehicles are responding to the same incident.

Lebanon Rescue would like to thank Instructor Glen Willette, Assistant Chief Jason Cole, EMT Rob Karwanski, Rob Connor, Shapleigh Rescue Department and Profile Stateline Superstore for an excellent training site.

The Lebanon Rescue Department currently has 44 active members, 35 of which are certified to drive the ambulance.

Several more pictures are available on the Lebanon Rescue Department homepage and Facebook Page - Click the Facebook Button at www.lebanonrescue.com