Delaware Responders Urge Ambulance Safety Changes
The Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association has developed a list of recommendations to improve ambulance safety following a crash that killed a Sussex County paramedic.
GEORGETOWN, Del. -- The Delaware Volunteer Fireman's Association has developed a list of recommendations to improve ambulance safety following a crash that killed a Sussex County paramedic.
The DVFA is recommending a special driving class for operating emergency vehicles by new first responders, a set amount of time spent practice driving before getting behind the wheel and uniform driving guidelines for all fire companies across the state, DVFA vice president Kevin Wilson said.
Sussex County Emergency Medical Services paramedic Stephanie Callaway died in June following an ambulance crash. Since then, emergency responders have been discussing ways to improve ambulance safety.
While those recommendations address the driving component, drivers said they are also concerned with the structure of ambulances.
The volunteer fireman's association is urging the National Fire Protection Association to set safety guidelines for the design of ambulances, Wilson said.
The NFPA already has design guidelines for firetrucks but has yet to develop the same rules for the box-portion of ambulances, Wilson said. The NFPA was scheduled to discuss the issue at their meeting in Providence, R.I., this week.
"It's a different kind of driving and you really need to learn how to drive an emergency vehicle. It's just very different," said Glenn Luedtke, director of Sussex County Emergency Medical Services.
Luedtke said he supports the recommendations by the DVFA. He said anything that will improve the safety of his EMS personnel will also make the process safer for patients and drivers.
The DVFA is working on plans to purchase a driving simulator for police, fire and ambulance crews to practice on before getting on the road, Wilson said. That machine could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The state needs to consider building a special practice course for emergency vehicles, Luedtke said.
The DVFA is encouraging fire companies to accept the recommendations as it does not have the authority to enforce them.
Republished with permission of WBOC-TV.
