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VFIS Launches new Fire and Emergency Medical Services Driver Training program

Date: 04.15.2025

A firetruck and ambulance pull out of a fire station

VFIS, a division of Glatfelter Insurance Group, has launched a new Emergency Vehicle Driver Training (EVDT) program that's designed to help address the modern risks of emergency vehicle operations and make the course more streamlined than ever. VFIS' flagship EVDT program has trained more than 65,000 emergency vehicle operators on driving best practices since it was last updated in 2016 and hopes that this refreshed program will continue to help emergency personnel stay safe while they respond-to and return-from incidents in their communities.

"When VFIS pioneered our EVDT program almost 50 years ago, driving was one of the most-overlooked and most-common risks that first responders faced each day—and, unfortunately, that risk remains," explains Rick Gurba, Director of VFIS Education, Training and Consulting. "We see it as our duty to help first responders stay safe while they selflessly serve and protect their communities—so, modernizing the EVDT program to help address their everchanging needs and being able to continue to aid in saving lives was a natural next step for us."

The updated program and competency course address both fire and EMS vehicles and include new resources, topics and modules, with information related to resource management, alternative fuel, scene safety, UTVs/ATVs and CDL requirements, as well as a new spotter evaluation skill test.

VFIS offers both a student-level EVDT program, which is designed for vehicle operators, as well as instructor-level EVDT program which is a "train the trainer" opportunity that teaches the necessary instructional methodology to successfully deliver the VFIS EVDT program. VFIS has over 100 instructor-level classes scheduled for the year to help educate training partners on the updated course materials.

Accompanying the contemporary EVDT course is a new Instructor Portal which is available on VFIS' online learning platform, VFIS University, and aims to simplify processes for instructors and trainers, provide easy access to training materials and support them with specialized continued education opportunities.

VFIS dedicates this initiative to the late David Michaels, former Vice President of VFIS Education, Training and Consulting and retired Fire Chief of the York City Fire Department, who was instrumental in developing this updated program prior to his death in the fall of 2024. May we honor his memory and carry his legacy forward by practicing safety on the scene and within our lives each day.