The Fire Department refreshed groups’ driver’s training through the Emergency Vehicle Operator Course — a program designed to ensure that firefighters safely and effectively operate emergency vehicles in the community.
Chief Jason R. Gilliland said the training is a refresher for all groups, to ensure the team knows what to do when operating large vehicles — especially in Marblehead, he added, where infrastructure can be “very tight.
“They’re driving very heavy trucks that carry 500 gallons of water, and they don’t stop that easily,” Chief Gilliland said. “They’re not in a car or a pickup truck. They’re in an emergency vehicle.
“This course will show them the proper way of maneuvering these larger apparatuses,” he added.
For the Fire Department, the aim is to reassert that “safety is (their) top priority.” Three groups have already attended the training, and one more group will finish the course on Aug. 8.
“Continued training like this ensures we’re ready to respond quickly and responsibly when our community needs us,” the Fire Department said in a statement.
