VIRTUAL RESPONDERS
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
When Copperas Cove residents call 9-1-1 for a fire or other emergency, they are counting on first responders to get to the scene quickly and also safely.
The entire staff of personnel at the Copperas Cove Fire Department had the chance this week to participate in a four-hour driving course put on by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, also known as TEEX.
Deputy fire chief Gary Young said this was a unique opportunity for the firefighters and EMTs to get behind the wheel of a fire engine—virtually.
Young pointed out, though, that participating in this course did not qualify everyone to drive one of the department’s engines, but it does provide a view of what it means to respond to fires and other emergencies for which an engine is sent.
“All of our engine drivers complete a two-week course and are certified through the Texas Fire Commission,” Young said. Drivers also receive training on how an engine is set up at an emergency.
A mobile trailer was stationed in the rear parking lot at the Central Fire Station, where for three days all shifts of the fire department from all stations participated in the driving scenarios.
Tommy Jacobs with TEEX was on hand to set up whatever kind of situation requested by the department that tests a driver’s skill. Scenarios included structure fires in a downtown, highway driving, dealing with pedestrians and other vehicles on the road.
Unknown to the drivers, situations would occur like tire blow-outs, fog, rain and other challenges Jacobs would throw their way with a push of the button on his computer.
Drivers buckled into a seat very similar to one in a fire engine and faced a panel of controls to include a typical dashboard inside a vehicle, with large monitors the approximate size of an engine’s windows.
Hunter Smith is a Copperas Cove firefighter who is also certified to drive an engine, and he described the experience and scenarios as “very realistic” for something a driver could encounter when responding to an emergency.
Although each firefighter was timed as they negotiated the course, Young said speed alone didn’t determine who would come out on top.
“Speed is not our friend; skill is our friend,” Young said of how drivers handle getting to the scene of an emergency. “Above all, it is important to get to a scene safely. This exercise is a good reminder of that.”
Following the virtual driving scenarios, all of the firefighters attended a brief workshop taught by Jacobs, which rounded out the course. The classroom session covered the legal aspects of responding to an emergency.
Young said this is the first time TEEX has brought the mobile education unit to Copperas Cove, adding that the course is in high demand as Jacobs travels the state presenting to other fire departments, both city and volunteer.
TEEX brought the unit at no cost to the Copperas Cove Fire Department. Young said the department extended invitations to other fire departments to send personnel as well.
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