Over the last five years, VRSA has received more than 500 vehicle incidents involving backing, incurring more than $1.2 million in damages. More than 60 percent of these incidents involve a large vehicle.
Regular training on safe backing is key toward minimizing and reducing injuries and damage to apparatus and vehicles.
Firefighters from the City of Charlottesville recently shared their time and procedures to assist VRSA in developing a backing training video for members.
“We are fortunate this morning to talk about some of our best safety practices when it comes to backing up our apparatus here at the City of Charlottesville Fire Department,” said Battalion Chief Lee James.
The video provides an overview of the steps to take before, during, and after a backing maneuver, such as inspecting the area for potential tripping hazards before backing the apparatus.
The full training video is now posted on the VRSA “Find A Resource” tool in the “defensive driving” category. Below is a short preview of the full video.