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| | | | | | | | Basics Are Not Enough at Bus Accidents |  | By Leigh T. Hollins
When we think of school buses, we think of the bright yellow vehicles that safely transport America’s children to school each day. While this is true, when things go wrong (and they do) emergency responders need to be prepared for the situation they will encounter. That’s why I developed School Bus Extrication for Pennwell's Fire Engineering Books & Videos. This new video contains information that will be vital to you when you are faced with an incident involving a school bus and will help prepare you for such an incident.
Statistics vary, but the following is a general indication of the potential that responders face in the United States:
• There are 450,000 school buses in service
• More than 25 million students ride school buses daily
• School buses travel 2 million miles every school day
• There are 16,000 school bus collisions annually
• There are 12,000 injuries and 130 deaths involving school buses annually
These figures are only those reported, as required, by public and private school bus transportation providers. Not included in the statistics are the tens of thousands of school buses that have been converted by church groups, civic groups, recreational providers, canoe and rafting outfitters, private individuals, and the multitudes of other users.
Whether it is painted the familiar yellow or not, the bus still has the same general construction features as when it came off the assembly line, and it will still act the same when it rolls down an embankment or is broad-sided by a semi.
The various agencies that track transportation accidents and injuries rate school buses as one of the safest forms of transportation available, much safer than traveling by car. When incidents do occur they tend to draw a lot of attention, with major school bus incidents making national news.
Do not be fooled into thinking that the potential is only during school months and during school days. School buses are on the road every day of the week, every hour of the day and night, on virtually every road in America and during every weather condition.
The problems presented to emergency responders when dealing with school buses are many. One of the problems is the extra heavy-duty school bus construction. In this day and age of building cars and trucks of lighter and alternate materials (such as fiberglass, composites and aluminum) the school bus is still built like a tank. This is a double-edged sword, so to speak. While it is a great benefit for those riding in the bus, when a major collision does occur, it is extremely difficult to displace the strong metal and components during extrication procedures. Responders who may be well trained and experienced at car and light truck extrication techniques will be confronted with a much different challenge at a school bus incident.
Another problem that increases the potential of a school bus incident is driver training and bus maintenance. All student transportation providers, whether public or private, are required to meet licensing, training, and maintenance requirements that have been set by the federal government and may be enhanced by local or state law. Many accidents and collisions are no doubt prevented due to these requirements. The problem is that once these transportation providers sell or donate a bus to the local church, pre-school, or canoe outfitter, these laws are no longer in effect. If we compare a school bus that drops kids off at the local public school to one that is being used privately, chances are you will see a major difference in the overall condition of the bus, as well as less stringent driver licensing requirements. This will increase the potential for an accident.
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