Simulator time sharpen skills, saves money for WSFD
Date: 3/29/2012
March 28, 2012By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.comWEST SPRINGFIELD — Members of the West Springfield Fire Department got behind the wheel last week to tune up their skills — and save the town some money at the same time.
Approximately 50 fire fighters — from the newest recruits through seasoned veterans — took part in the driver simulator training program, sponsored by the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA) during it's four-day stop in town.
Participation in the bi-annual refresher training earned the town credits that can be applied toward the annual insurance premiums for the department.
David Bastien, lead public safety driving instructor for MIIA said the training involves approximately an hour and a half of classroom instruction, followed by time in the program's state-of-the art, computer-driven simulator, housed in a 30-foot mobile trailer.
"We want them to be a defensive driver," Bastien said. "We review anti-lock braking system (ABS) breaking techniques, threshold breaking, collision avoidance and stopping distance."
He said the goal of the two-pronged training is to have the firefighters "think more and do less' when piloting a rig during an emergency situation.
Lt. C. J. Bartone said the situations presented by the simulator — which can be programmed to present a fire fighter with any of 150 different driving scenarios — are "as close as you can get" to being behind the wheel of a fire apparatus on the way to a call.
"The obstacles are pretty similar, [some] cars are going to go to the right, cars are going to stop in front of us, pedestrians are going to be in the street . these situations are very real," he said. "Unfortunately, the drivers around us are very unpredictable."
Bastein said the purpose of the simulator time — which presents subjects with not only the traffic activity directly in front of them but also images of buildings and traffic on the rig's right and left sides — is to "plant seeds of what to look for" in everyday driving situations.
"We want them to take in everything … we don't want that tunnel vision," he added.
Fire Fighter Chris Battesta, who has been with the department for six months, said his first experience in the simulator was "a little different" from the practice runs he has done with fire apparatus on the town's streets and on the grounds of Eastern States Exposition.
"I've never been to a fire as an operator, or pulled up to a site," Battesta said after driving a scenario where he had to negotiate simulated traffic, an intersection and determine where to park his rig for best access to the emergency. "You go faster with the lights and sirens on, and you have to be more aware."
Bastien said the simulated drives include the lights and sirens to try and recreate some of the "adrenaline rush" fire fighters experience on their way to a call.
"Getting to the call safely is the number one priority," he said. "How do you do that? By slowing down and driving [defensively]."
He added that all MIIA refresher training includes experience backing up the vehicles because "that's where the majority of accidents happen."
According to Bastein, the MIIA, which is the non-profit, member based arm of the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA), started the driver safety program in 2005 with a goal of decreasing the number of accidents that involved police, fire and other emergency vehicles in the 400 member cities and towns the MMA insures. He noted that some participating communities have seen their accidents drop by as much as 25 percent.
According to materials from the MIIA, more than 5,200 municipal employees across the state participated in a total of 235 MIAA-sponsored training and management seminars in 2011, garnering more than $2.4 million in insurance premium credit statewide.
