Ambulance Crashes Leading Cause of EMS LODD

January 9, 2013

An article from EMS World shows that ambulance crashes killed nine of the 21 EMS responders who died in 2012. Another EMS provider died after being struck while assisting at the scene of a highway crash, and one was killed in a vehicle crash after leaving work.

Given these tragic statistics, vehicle safety needs to be a top priority for the emergency medical service. Regardless of whether driving an ambulance or a personal vehicle, safety must come first. The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) offers online vehicle safety training as part of the STOP (Safety Tops Our Priorities) campaign. Two courses are currently available:

Seatbelts Top Our Response Priority: This 30-minute session educates participants on the importance of using a seatbelt. The course examines how to encourage safety when responding to emergencies and how seatbelt use and safe vehicle operations can be enforced at the department level.

STOP at Intersections: The largest percentage of major accidents involving emergency vehicles happens at intersections. Even with the use of warning devices, intersections pose a serious threat to the safety of both emergency service personnel as well as the public. This half-hour program explores why intersection safety tops our priorities.

Take these courses on your own or incorporate it into your regularly-scheduled department training. The training is provided using an online platform from McNeil and Company’s Emergency Services Insurance Program (ESIP). Course materials and certificates of completion are provided.

To access the STOP training and make vehicle safety a priority, click here and register as a student using access code 6832.