This is the first in a series of articles on the prevention of emergency vehicle crashes. The author, Chris Daly, is a 23-year veteran of the fire service and a full-time police officer who specializes in the reconstruction of serious vehicle crashes and emergency vehicle crashes. He developed the “Drive to Survive” training program (www.drivetosurvive.org) and lectures nationally. The staff of the Municipal believes Daly’s information is relevant for any driver of a vehicle: emergency response, municipal, personal or commercial. Daly has been a contributing author to Fire Engineering Magazine, the Pennsylvania Fireman and Firerescue1.com. He has a master’s degree in safety from Johns Hopkins University. He can be contacted at station56@aol.com.
In our last article we discussed the steps involved in bringing a speeding vehicle to a stop. This complex process includes the time and distance necessary to perceive and react to a hazard, followed by the time and distance necessary … Continue reading →
When people think about “stopping distance,” they usually picture a vehicle skidding to a stop in a haze of blue smoke. But bringing a vehicle to a stop is a more complicated process than you think. The first step occurs … Continue reading →
In the last article, I discussed how a vehicle “burns off” kinetic energy and comes to a stop. We mentioned that when the tires on a vehicle lock up, they slide across the road surface and create tremendous amounts of … Continue reading →
You arrive at the firehouse and walk into the radio room, only to find four of your co-workers sitting in their chairs like statues, afraid to move a muscle. An engineer is teetering on a pile of phone books, trying … Continue reading →
