2009 Medina County School Bus Driver In-Service
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| 1200 Ohio bus drivers watching Medina County School Bus In-Service |
The annual Medina County School Bus/Van Driver In‐Service was held on Friday, June 12, 2009 at the Medina County Fairgrounds. This year’s planning committee went above and beyond the call of duty to bring to the bus drivers in Medina County and surrounding counties a first class in‐service. The knowledge and information they received will allow them to handle any safety and or security issue on their own until help arrives. The planning committee wanted to increase safety and security awareness and educate the drivers so they asked themselves the following questions: Do our bus drivers know what needs to be done in emergency situations? What would happen in a natural disaster? It was the committee’s hope during the planning stages that as the drivers watched the events unfold, they would realize what an important job they do each day. With that realization, they would understand that the children that ride their bus each day depend on the driver to keep them safe. The planning committee included individuals from Medina County Schools’ Educational Service Center, Medina County School Districts Transportation Supervisors, Medina County Emergency Responders (Medina County Emergency Management Agency, Medina City Fire Department, Medina City Police Department and Medina Life Support Team) and World Truck Towing.
The grandstand at the fairgrounds came alive with anticipation as Mike Redfern, North Region Pre‐Service Instructor announce the beginning of the in‐service by introducing Mr. William Koran, Superintendent, Medina County Schools’ ESC, who welcomed over 1,200 bus drivers, 400 of which were from Medina County School Districts. Drivers in attendance represented 69 school districts and 22 counties from around the state.
Mr. Koran explained why we work with the school districts in Medina to bring the bus drivers the important information needed to transport our children safely. Mr. Koran also informed the crowd that they were going to hear two speakers who were experts in the field of security and safety. He then introduced Mr. William Arrington, General Manager, Office of Highway and Motor Carrier, Transportation Security Administration and Mr. Charles Hall, President, HMS Company, First Observer. Mr. Arrington and Mr. Hall both addressed the group on awareness, preparedness, safety and security. They both stressed the importance of education for drivers, as well as planning and training as a big part of the safety and security of driving our children to and from school and school activities.
Following the presentations by Mr. Arrington and Mr. Hall, four live‐action scenarios were presented to the crowd and were based on events that could happen to any bus driver, at anytime, in anyplace. The events had the undivided attention of everyone in the audience. Mr. Hall and Mr. Arrington 1200 Ohio Bus Drivers watching Medina County Schools Bus Driver In‐Service
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| Angry parent boarding bus |
Scenario 1: What would a driver do if a stranger or angry parent forced their way onto a school bus loaded with students? How would the driver defuse the incident and keep all the students safe at the same time?
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| Bus driver and teacher trying to get the students to follow them to safety |
Scenario 2: What about natural disasters like a tornado? Imagine driving a bus with students and chaperones coming back from a field trip and getting a radio communication telling you that your bus is in the path of a tornado? What would you do as a bus driver? Who would be in charge: the driver or the chaperones?
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| Students exiting the bus after bomb threat |
Scenario 3: How would your driver react to an urgent radio message from dispatch notifying him/her that there was a bomb threat called in? All they know is that the caller said there is a bomb on one of the district’s school
buses. Would your driver know what steps to take to ensure the safety of their students?
| After first explosion |
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| Bus driver and one student are only survivors |
Scenario 4: How many drivers have thought that because they did a post‐trip on returning from a field trip the night before that there was really no need to do a complete pre‐trip before the start of a route? Sometime during the route a student notices a backpack on the floor in the back of the bus. “The driver has just enough time to think that she doesn’t remember seeing a backpack on the floor during the post‐trip.” There is an EXPLOSION in the back of the bus! The driver should have completed a pre‐trip!
While these events could take place anytime or anywhere, the planning committee’s objectives for this year’s in‐service were to make sure that our drivers are well trained and alert for any and all possible signs of an emergency. Each scenario was followed with a question and answer session with a panel of experts from several fire departments, the Medina County Emergency Management Agency, several law enforcement Bus driver and one student
are the only survivors Students exiting the bus after bomb threat. After first explosion Bus driver and teacher trying to get the students to follow them to safety
Angry parent boarding bus agencies and the East Region Pre‐Service Bus Driver Trainer. One thing that was evident from the panel’s responses was that having these types of training programs for our bus drivers was one of the best tools we
have in ensuring that our children are transported as safely as possible.
In addition to the planning committee and the individuals that served on our panel of experts, we would like to give a special thanks to the Medina County Fair Board for allowing us to hold our in‐service at the fairgrounds, as well as the Medina County 4‐H and the Medina Bees Youth Football for setting up concession
stands for the drivers and guest to have refreshments during the day. Finally, we would also like to thank the actors who made our scenarios come alive. Without these talented adults and Medina County students, the program would not have had the profound effect on our audience that it did.
