FORT OSAGE, Mo. — A group of Missouri firefighters got together Saturday for a training course to learn how to respond to a school bus rollover accident.
While there were no children on the bus used in the exercise, it was a simulation with a real-life feel.
“We want to make it as real life for the firefighters as possible, so when they get on scene they have a good idea of what they need to do in order to rescue the patients involved,” said course instructor Ron Walters. “Unfortunately this bus is not wrecked, mangled, crumbled or whatever. It’s a straight bus. I can’t duplicate every situation but I try to make it as real life as possible.”
Walters described a school bus rollover as one of the most trying situations a firefighter can experience. In the past two months metro firefighters have dealt with two school bus crashes in Bonner Springs and Warrensburg.
“It’s going to put a lot of stress on the firefighters because many of them have children of their own. They’re going to see things that are gory depending how bad the situation is and they are going to act like these are their own children,” said Walters.
The Independence and Fort Osage firefighters in the course learned how to cut into a school bus the right way in the event of a rollover accident without all the emotions involved.
“It’s a unique opportunity for us to get a lot of organizations in the metropolitan area to work on some of the skills we don’t get to work on together that often,” said Independence firefighter, John Meyer.
Meyer said the drill is tougher than it looks.
“It’s pretty difficult. School buses are built a lot tougher that what I realized. They’re built to withstand a pretty heavy impact and made with a lot of heavy steel. Thus gave us a chance to get some tools out, work with them, and see what works the best,” he said.
The group of firefighters said they know that the skills they’re practicing won’t likely be put to use very often, but they’ll be ready if they need them.
