Recently, Montgomery County, Md. Fire and Rescue Service hosted a new program that allows firefighters to share apparatus driving safety tips with their own children.
The four-hour training course entitled, "It's All in the Family," brought dozens of firefighters, along with their children, to the training academy in Rockville, Md., July 21, according to the department's spokesman Pete Piringer.
"I think it's pretty unique," he said. "There've been a lot of teen fatalities in the metropolitan area. There have also been some instances where our firefighters have lost sons or daughters in (automobile) accidents."
Piringer said the program was initially spearheaded by Chief Thomas W. Carr Jr., whom he says has stressed an improved driving safety for the entire department. Within the last two years, MCFRS has developed its own 25-point driving training program to accompany the Smith System, which is used for their training courses.
The Smith System is a set of driving guidelines designed to help drivers to see their way through various situations. The system's five keys to safety include: Aim high in steering; "Get the big picture"; "Keep your eyes moving"; "Leave yourself an out" and "Make sure they see you."
The course allowed both parent and child to observe each other's performance in the different areas of the course and grade them. Piringer believes certain aspects of the program allowed it to be both fun and instructive.
"We are not just teaching our people on the job," he said. "This is a way for them to spend time with their family and give them some live-saving lessons."
Demonstrations such as tire blowouts and hydroplaning allowed the teenagers to experience real-life scenarios in order to be prepared in the future.
"Everybody just had a good time with it," Piringer said. "Some of the kids had already been in wrecks, and after the program said had they know this stuff before, they probably wouldn't have gotten into the wreck."
Most of the teens who participated are beginners who have recently earned their licensees, but Piringer believes the training they are given is incomplete. "When you are a young driver planning on passing a driving test, it's mainly learning a few things and passing the test," he said. "I think what's different with what we're doing is there is actually some hands-on stuff involved."
With the success of the program, Piringer said the department plans to expand on it in the future in hopes of better educating teen drivers.
"Our experience has been that most fatal accidents are usually due to experience," he said. "This is just another experience we think will help those teenagers."
