Blue Light Driving
Blue Light & Emergency Response Driver Training is only available to emergency service drivers - police drivers, ambulance drivers (private and public) and fire service drivers. This may also include coastguard, mines & mountain rescue drivers or those involved in similar emergency response positions.
Anyone who is not qualified to do blue light training by virtue of their employment (or voluntary position) cannot receive Blue Light Driver Training.
Most emergency response training is carried out in house by police, fire service or NHS driver trainers, though there are more private ambulance and fire services and some voluntary sector response teams whose drivers have blue light driving allowances and exemptions. These drivers must be trained by a fully qualified ADI. Police driver trainers are now also encouraged to become DSA ADIs.
All training will need to be carried out to current DSA guidelines:
Blue Light Emergency Response Driver Consultation Document DSA
It may be worth having a look at ACPO’s recommendations for Police Driver Training:
ACPO Police Driver Training Guidelines
Also there is a good guide to road policing strategy and training from the Scottish Police College:
Scottish Police College Road Policing and Training
All emergency response training must be carried out to comply with section 19 of the Road Safety Act 2006:
Road Safety Act 2006 (scroll down to section 19)
Training Providers:
TravelSafe-UK are one of the few nationwide training companies whose trainers are qualified and capable of providing fully compliant blue light training courses.
ATC Driver Training provide blue light driver training from their base at North Weald Aerodrome near Epping in Essex.
ProtecTraining - Ken Stewart is one of the most highly qualified trainers in the UK, with both a military and civilian police training background. He works across the UK, the EU and Worldwide with many government and international organisations and with companies based around his home ground of Ayrshire.
Simon Hall - A Fleet qualified DSA ADI who is also a Police driver trainer. Simon is based in Norfolk, but provides blue-light, track and advanced driver training across the south east.
For Driving Instructors looking to get into blue light training, it usually involves working for one of the emergency services as a driver trainer. The Fire Service and Police both take on civillian ADIs, though these instructors are often only expected to perform normal driver training duties at first. To be considered suitably qualified to gain a job in one of the services, ADI qualification, Fleet qualification and RoSPA, IAM or Cardington tests must show an extremely high standard of driving and training.
Courses to become a blue light driving instructor, or emergency response driving instructor are limited to those who are employed in these services.
info@driver-training-courses.co.uk