When you are in the presence of 400+ emergency vehicle technicians (EVTs), one thing becomes clear quickly: they are always working. That’s exactly what I found out as I sat down to breakfast at the 28th Fire Truck Training Conference before the event kicked off. Whether it was talking about a recent diagnostic challenge and how it was solved or about hiring and retaining skilled technicians, the talk at the breakfast table wasn’t about the football games the day before or their trip into Lansing, Michigan. The discussion always centered around the job.
The mission of the Fire Truck Training Conference is to equip the EVT’s toolbox with the knowledge and resources to keep trucks in service and responding to communities around the world. Attendees have a full slate of classes to choose from, representing various EVT levels—from the basics to classes geared toward the heavy repair technicians. In addition, the event offers a variety of EVT test prep classes that lead up to a day of EVT testing at the end of the event.
Right away this year it was easy to see the emphasis on classes geared toward ambulance repair—which makes a lot of sense. In some departments, these vehicles are on the road almost constantly and are subject to more wear and tear than some fire apparatus.
The intent of the conference is to empower attendees—many who are first-timers and many who are back for their third or fourth time—to tackle their tasks at work regardless of who built the rig. The truck is broken, and here is how to fix it. Component classes that are supplier-lead focus on troubleshooting specific apparatus and ambulance components.
One theme that repeated itself throughout the day was that of labor. It is getting harder to recruit EVTs let alone retain them at times, which makes it harder to get vehicles back in service quickly. One instructor said that an overall goal is to ensure your fleet comprises safe, dependable, trustworthy vehicles. You need people to accomplish this, and in recent years, these individuals have been harder to find.
Above all else, Day 1 made it clear once again that being an emergency vehicle technician is a passion. It’s more than a job for the 400+ attendees gathered this week in Lansing. These devoted individuals have dedicated themselves to keeping us on the road and making sure our rigs are safe so we can help others in their times of greatest need.
