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Chris Daly, Drive to Survive

Drive to Survive
by Chris Daly

Chris Daly is a 16 year veteran of the fire service, currently serving with the Goshen Fire Department in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Chris completed his Master's Degree at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with a concentration in Safety, before becoming a full-time police officer. Chris currently works with the West Chester Police Department and is a member of their Serious Crash Investigation Team, specializing in the investigation and reconstruction of serious and fatal auto accidents.

After recognizing the growing problem of fire apparatus crashes, Chris combined his experience to create the Drive to Survive Training Program. Further information can be obtained by visiting www.drivetosurvive.org. Email Chris at Chris.Daly@FireRescue1.com.

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We manage to kill ourselves an average of 20-25 times each year by just driving to and from emergency incidents. In addition to these fatalities, countless other firefighters and civilians are injured by these needless crashes. The Drive to Survive program is designed to teach apparatus operators that no matter how long they have been driving or how "good" they think they are, at some point Mother Nature will take over and the vehicle will lose control. By teaching the dynamics of a moving vehicle in easy to understand terms, it is my hope that firefighters and apparatus operators will learn to recognize the dangers of driving an emergency vehicle. Once armed with this information, it is my hope that apparatus operators will realize the need for caution while driving to an emergency incident.

I would ask you to please visit our website, www.drivetosurvive.org, and read the many articles we've compiled to help address driver education and apparatus safety. I would also ask that anyone who comes across a weblink that contains valuable information on the topic of vehicle dynamics or safety please forward me the link so that it can be shared with the rest of the fire service. Furthermore, if you have a driver training program or driver training drill that you would like to share with us, please forward it along. It is only with the help of everyone that we can maintain this information clearinghouse.

Remember...BUCKLE UP...SLOW DOWN...and THINK!

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