The fire service has people who just drive fire apparatus and drivers who skillfully operate safe fire apparatus. Chiefs and senior officers probably already can think of which apparatus operators fit into which category. I will even go so far to say that I have been driving fire apparatus for 24 years but have only really been an apparatus driver/operator for about 18 years — there is a difference.

People who just drive fire apparatus hop in the cab, turn the key or push the starter button, engage the transmission, activate the lights and siren, and mash the accelerator pedal to the floor. They often give little thought to the type of call they are responding to, because in their minds one response mode fits all. They also give little thought to whether the crew on board is belted or even seated, to what the truck is made of and what it can or can't handle, and to the community at large. They are, in most cases, an accident waiting to happen. Driver/operators are clearly different individuals. They like, if not thoroughly enjoy, the important job of operating the fire apparatus and may pick that role over any other in the department.

The people who just drive a fire truck also enjoy the task, but for different reasons. They enjoy breaking loose from the confines of their personal cars and the laws that govern them, crossing over into the emergency vehicle where they perceive there are no rules or laws that apply to them. These firefighters get an adrenaline rush from the speed and power — two sirens wailing and an air horn blown until there is no air left in the auxiliary air tank to sound it. They are often so hyped up from the ride that they are somewhat dazed when they arrive at a minor incident or an accidental alarm. They aren't quite sure where the driver fits in at the scene because the ride is over and the rush has ended.

Apparatus driver/operators approach the driver's job seriously right from the beginning. They generally follow the vehicle and traffic laws that apply both to personal and emergency vehicles. From the time of the alarm, these drivers constantly evaluate the type of incident, traffic conditions, weather conditions and any other situation that might factor into how they are going to operate the vehicle. They cautiously observe their crews to make sure they are safely seated and belted and apply the same standard to themselves. They proceed to the incident fully knowing that if they do not arrive safely, they can't provide service to their community.

They are also keenly aware of the fact that if their apparatus is involved in an accident while responding or returning, that might complicate their department's ability to provide quality service. These driver/operators know there are limitations to their apparatus and what their rigs can safely do and handle due to their weight, length, size, tires and braking systems — while it is easy to accelerate the rig to significant speeds simply by putting some light pressure on the accelerator pedal, stopping can be a completely different story.

The 2008 presidential campaign has placed a great deal of emphasis (and humor) on how the candidates would handle the 3 a.m. phone call. Fire chiefs are accustomed to the 3 a.m. phone call, but there is one call they never want to get — that a responding apparatus was involved in an accident. After ensuring that personnel and the general public are OK, chiefs must take an objective look at the accident and the contributing factors, identify any training gaps, and assign appropriate disciplinary action.

During a safe emergency vehicle operations workshop, some fire department officers asked me to visit a recent apparatus accident scene. A large Class-A pumper responding to an alarm at night faced with a car that may have drifted into its lane. The apparatus operator reported that he steered off the road in a run-off style incident to avoid colliding with the alleged oncoming vehicle. I also had the opportunity to look over the specific piece of department apparatus that was involved in this near-miss incident.

My background is centered in a few disciplines when it comes to large commercial vehicles: driver training and evaluation, the development of vehicle loss-prevention policies and best practices, large fleet management, and maintenance and repair. I am not an accident investigator. Still, when you work with large commercial vehicles and fire apparatus and with hundreds of drivers and respond to numerous accidents, over time you develop accident instincts.

My visit to this particular accident site suggested that speed might have been a contributing factor. Long skid marks were clearly visible at the scene. As speed increases, especially on residential roadways with lower posted speed limits, accident avoidance techniques become much more difficult. Also, the end results such as injuries and damage of accident avoidance attempts made at higher speeds can be more severe. The time a driver has to make critical decisions is greatly reduced as speed increases. Couple that with the time of day that this incident occurred and safe apparatus operation procedures would have clearly warranted a speed at or below the posted speed limit. At night, drivers should always reduce speed for good visibility and ample reaction time within the range of the apparatus headlights.

The apparatus had clear signs of a run-off accident, but the undercarriage damage was more extensive than that of a low-speed run off. I have been involved with a number of commercial vehicles (more than 26,000 pounds) that have left the road surface at speeds less than 30 mph. All of these vehicles have been towed back to the repair facility, inspected and with some minor exhaust system repairs immediately are sent back out on the road. The damage to this pumper required collision repairs.

The most telling piece of information came from comments from the driver during the morning session of the driver-safety workshop. It was quite clear that this young driver either was in denial about the seriousness of the accident or lacked the experience as an operator to recognize the seriousness of the incident. He repeated a number of times that his actions “saved” the crew or possibly reduced their chances for injuries. Had I still been in my first few years as an apparatus operator, I might have bought into his comments and joined in the collective thumbs-up, back-slapping and all-around feel-good fest from his buddies who were seated around him.

But the aging fire apparatus driver/operator and school district bus fleet operator that I have become over time believes the driver and crew were simply lucky this time. They were lucky that a tree, telephone pole or light standard was not in the run-off path. They were lucky that nobody was ejected from the vehicle either out a cab door/window or windshield. They were lucky there was no jogger, cyclist or pedestrian dressed in dark colors in the area who could have been struck when the truck left the road surface.

Firefighters who can respond and get apparatus out on the road are a valuable asset to any fire company and their dedicated service to the community is needed. I do not wish to drive away through disciplinary procedures any individual who has the desire to serve. Before individuals who have been involved in near-miss incidents or accidents are returned to the road to drive apparatus again, they must undergo retraining as a driver. This could consist of supervised practice drives followed by actual response drives under the direct view of an officer. Once cleared for driving duty, they should undergo evaluations of their driving skills every six months by a chief, training officer, safety officer or driver trainer for up to 24 months.

The first and most important step in this improvement process is that the drivers in question step back and look at all sides of the incident objectively from a defensive driving viewpoint. They must recognize factors that may have been out of their control when they had their incidents, as well as factors that were under their control. They should then explore what they have to do to gain control of the factors that caused their incident or accident and use those new found skills to prevent similar situations in the future. Then and only then can somebody transform him or herself from a person driving a fire truck to a skilled and professional apparatus driver/operator.

Michael P. Dallessandro is a 24-year veteran of the volunteer fire service. He is a life member and current board member of the Grand Island Fire Company in Erie County, N.Y. He is a former paramedic, 911 dispatcher and fire inspector. Dallessandro is a speaker and trainer for fire service events at both the state and national level and is the creator of the RespondSmart apparatus driver program and the Volunteer Fire Officer full-day leadership academy. He also works full time in public school administration. Dallessandro can be reached at MPDBUS1@aol.com.