The Art of the Company Chauffer

Presented by: Brian Edwards, Career Apparatus Technician: Fairfax County Fire Rescue Department, VA; Volunteer Firefighter/EMS; Warrenton Volunteer Fire Department

Engineer, Driver, Technician, Chauffer, Wheelman. Call it what you want, but we can all agree that the driver operator must do more than just drive from the firehouse to the call.

During this interactive lecture, we will discuss some of the following questions and topics.

-What are some of the responsibilities of the Driver/Operator? Ethical and legal

-What are some challenges we may face?

-How do we overcome these challenges?

-Do you really know your rig and how things work?

-Mechanical challenges

-Positioning vs Parking

– “Lone wolf” tactics. Can you do more than just stare at the pump panel?

-Steering Wheel Holder vs Driver Operator

This will be geared to those who are currently Driver Operators within their departments or those who aspire to be. This will be taught by a current engine company driver working for a larger metropolitan fire department within the DC capital Region who teaches driver operator classes within the area, both career and volunteer. This class will dive into some of the mechanical aspects of the rigs and things to look for to prevent any mechanical breakdowns or out-of-service time. We will discuss things that could go wrong on the fire ground and how to overcome these problems in a very interactive environment. The goal is for the drivers in the room to bounce ideas off each other and to be able to have an open discussion.