L to R: Craighead County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Randy Sharp, BRTC LETA Instructor Aaron Schenk, Jonesboro Police Department Patrolman Bruce Wright, Greene County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jeffrey Wolfenbarger, Craighead County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Mike Lawrence, and BRTC LETA Instructor Ashley Boles.
Black River Technical College (BRTC) recently held an Emergency Vehicle Operations Instructor Development and Instructor Recertification Course (EVOC).
This course taught instructor candidates how to properly instruct students in the safe and effective operations of an emergency vehicle in non-emergency and emergency driving situations.
Topics in the lecture covered, pre-trip inspections, safe vehicle operations, liabilities attached to non-emergency, emergency/pursuit driving, equipment requirements, proper training site selection, training liability and safety briefing requirements before emergency vehicle operations courses are taught.
The practical exercise portion of the instruction included a series of exercises designed to develop appropriate skills related to the ability of the instructor to operate an emergency vehicle on various courses.
The sequence of exercises are designed to take the instructor candidate through a progression of learning, beginning with selecting a site for driving training, proper vehicle maintenance training, the use of radio communications during pursuit driving, proper driving techniques during pursuit driving, and teaching driving techniques to course instructors while the vehicle is in operation.
Each instructor candidate was required to qualify on each driving course under the minimum designated time without striking a cone. As the week progressed the level of difficulty of each course increased, thus challenging the instructor candidates mentally and physically while they were attempting to qualify with a minimal margin of error. The instructor candidates also complete a written exam, and are required to design and present a course for use in training.
During the course, the current Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) Certified Emergency Operations Instructors were evaluated on their presentation of classroom instructional material and practical applications to the course participants. These current instructors are recertified every two years to maintain continuity among full time and adjunct EVOC instructors who teach for BRTC’s Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) .
The newly certified EVOC instructors are Greene County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jeffery Wolfenbarger, Jonesboro Police Department Patrolman Bruce Wright, Craighead County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Mike Lawrence, and Craighead County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Randy Sharp.
The instructors who completed EVOC Instructor Recertification are BRTC LETA Instructor Ashley Boles, BRTC LETA Instructor Aaron Schenk, Arkansas Highway Police Patrolman first-class Matt Clairday, Arkansas Highway Police Corporal Jay Cooper, and Greene County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Justin Jackson.