School bus drivers get safety refresher course before school year begins
LEWIS CENTER, Ohio (WCMH) -- The first day of school is right around the corner and people will start seeing yellow school buses back on the roads.
Before welcoming students on the buses, Olentangy Local Schools bus drivers got some emergency preparedness training on Tuesday.
Drivers need to be ready for any situation on the roadway, which is why hands-on training is so important. Local fire department and sheriff’s deputies went to Olentangy Berlin High School on Tuesday and filled a bus with smoke to simulate a fire.
“That smoke is so dense, you cannot see, you know, your hands right in front of your face, you know, and it comes in quick, which is exactly how it would be in a real fire,” bus driver Noah Clark said.
Clark has been driving a bus for nearly a year now and said a life-like simulation can be the difference between panic and composure in an emergency.
“That bus engulfs so quickly, so quickly,” he said. “So much faster than people understand, so it's great that these smoke machines can simulate exactly what it would be like if this bus was actually to catch on fire.”
Bus drivers also brushed up on their pre-trip inspection knowledge, navigation skills and inclement weather preparedness training. Amy Morgan, a transportation supervisor for the district, said her drivers need to know how to react during a tornado warning or when water covers the roadway.
“I hope that they feel like they can breathe in case of an emergency situation, that they just keep it together and just keep our kids safe,” Morgan said. “That’s what’s important.”
Olentangy drivers got a refresher on their safety procedures ahead of the first day of school, and Morgan said it’s now time for parents to talk to their children about proper behavior on the bus.
“Please, please encourage your children to listen to their bus drivers,” Morgan said. “If there is, God forbid, an accident or an emergency situation, listen to the driver and do what they say. Don't argue with them.”
Other people on the roads also have a responsibility when they see a school bus. Morgan said drivers need to remember to slow down and stop when the red flashing lights and stop sign come out.