OL employees complete emergency driving course

An Operation Life driver navigates a tight S-curve between sets of cones in the Greencastle High School parking lot Friday afternoon. Each Operation Life employee recently had to complete the classroom and driving portion of the Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Emergency Vehicle Course.

Members of Putnam County Operation Life have completed annual training in emergency vehicle driving.

Operation Life uses the Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Emergency Vehicle Course, which combines a classroom portion and then a driving course with cones.

Every employee navigated the driving course set up in the Greencastle High School parking lot on either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

Operation Life offers the driving course annually and usually requires new members to attend the classroom portion, but this year the classroom portion was required for all employees because of the additional course material.

"We felt that it is so important that our employees know how to operate the ambulances effectively and safely that we require the annual driving course per the V.F.I.S. recommendations, " executive director Kraig Kinney said.

Operation Life required participation of its nearly 55 employees and volunteers who staff the ambulances. The employees must hold a valid drivers license and have no significant driving offenses. The administration also checks driving records of employees annually.

At Operation Life, new hires go through a probationary period where the employee drives the ambulance non-emergent initially and upgrades to emergent driving as their handling of the ambulances advances.