Emergency driver initiative
St John Ambulance is joining
forces with The Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents (RoSPA) to promote and support a programme to
improve driving including advanced training for emergency response
drivers.
New direction
The partnership represents a new direction for
both organisations, with RoSPA becoming involved in emergency
response training for the first time and St John Ambulance gaining
RoSPA accreditation for its own driver-training school for its
25,000 adult volunteer and staff drivers.
RoSPA will validate the training material and
accredit St John Ambulance’s in-house programme. The training will
also be made available to other organisations.
Training
The programme will focus on improving
drivers’ awareness of road risks and will deliver
high-quality practical training to reduce the
risks.
With significant overlaps between
safer-driving techniques and lower fuel
usage, the training will also reduce St John Ambulance’s
carbon footprint.
Working together
Errol Taylor, RoSPA Deputy Chief Executive,
said: ‘This partnership brings together two of the world's leading
charities in our shared goal of saving lives and reducing
injuries.'
Tony Guinness, who has produced much of the St
John Ambulance in-house material and has led the discussions for St
John Ambulance said: ‘I am delighted to have RoSPA as a partner so
that our volunteer members and employees can receive accreditation
from the country's leading driver-training provider.
‘We have developed a unique package of
classroom and on-road training for our staff and volunteers which
we believe is the best of its kind. It provides a rigorous
framework for us to manage our road risk as an organisation, while
also investing in the skills of our individual drivers.’
Courses and qualifications have been designed
around foundation and advanced levels, reflecting the experience
drivers bring with them and the tasks they need to perform safely
for St John Ambulance. As a bonus, St John Ambulance drivers will
be able to join RoSPA’s Advanced Drivers and Riders, pass the RoSPA
Advanced Driving Test and benefit from preferential insurance rates
on their private cars.
A memorandum of understanding has been signed
by both charities to formalise the partnership.