Planned changes to the legislation covering the driving of emergency vehicles will need to be reflected in the training that emergency service drivers and instructors receive. The introduction of Section 19 of the Road Safety Act (2006) will replace section 87 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act (1984). This legislation covers exemptions from speed limits for emergency service vehicles and affects those working in the police, fire and ambulance services as well as authorised agencies.
The new legislation will potentially allow certain other vehicle purposes to be included in speed limit exemption regulations. Significantly, it will also become a requirement for drivers to undertake, or be in the process of taking, a suitable high-speed training course before they are permitted to exceed speed limits.
Emergency Response Driver Training (ERDT) has responded to this pending change in the legislation by developing an industry-first Level 3 Award driving qualification, as well as a range of driving and instructors’ Certificates of Achievement.
ERDT’s new Emergency Response Driving High-Speed (ERD-HS) course is accredited as an SFJ Awards Level 3 Award in initial qualification and re-certification. This qualification provides the learner with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to drive a vehicle under emergency response conditions at high speed. The training is based on the police system of car control, known as ‘Roadcraft’ and is designed to meet the legal requirements of the pending Section 19 of the Road Safety Act 2006 and the NFCC emergency response driver framework.
ERDT’s unique qualification structure provides eligible drivers with the opportunity to complete ERD unit 1: Demonstrate Advanced Driving Skills, a vehicle class pathway unit that best meets the vehicle type to be driven, and ERD unit 2 covering driving vehicles at high-speed under emergency response conditions. Vehicle class pathway options after this are: Class 2 ERD car & light vehicles (ERD-LV); Class 3 ERD Medium-sized vehicle Cat-C1 (ERD-MV) and Class 4 ERD Heavy vehicles Cat-C (ERD-HV).
The Emergency Response Driving Road-Speed (ERD-RS) course is also accredited as a SFJ Awards Certificate of Achievement. It is designed for drivers that do not have a legal exemption from the speed limit or do not have an operational requirement to drive above the speed limit but who are required to drive under emergency response conditions at road-speed while claiming a range of exemptions.
The Blue Light Driving (BLD) course is accredited as a SFJ Awards Certificate of Achievement and provides drivers with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to drive a vehicle using blue lights and sirens only within the posted speed limit.
The Emergency Response Driving Instructor (ERDI) course is only available to statutory emergency services. Accredited as an SFJ Awards Certificate of Achievement, it provides instructors with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to deliver initial or recertification training and assessments. This training is based both on the police system of car control and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) instructional skills. It is designed to meet the legal requirements of the pending Section 19 of the Road Safety Act 2006 and the NFCC emergency response driver framework.
The course provides the opportunity to complete ERDI units 2, 3 and 4 as a high-speed, road-speed or blue-light Instructor, as well as an ERDI vehicle pathway unit that best meets the vehicle type that requires emergency response driving.
‘We choose SFJ Awards accreditation because they are a nationally recognised and regulated awarding organisation and custom certification services provider,’ says Stephen Milton, Managing Director of ERDT. ‘They work with a wide range of organisations that deliver public benefits including police, fire and rescue services, health and care services, armed services, voluntary sector organisations and international providers and employers. They are also trusted and approved as England’s leading fire and rescue end-point assessment organisation.’
ERDT has delivered training to over 85 emergency services and allied organisations in the UK and worldwide. Its courses are 80% practical and it offers a range of emergency response driving e-Learning packages.
For more information, go to www.erdt.uk.com
