The Rutherford First Aid Squad gathered at the Little League Field parking lot at 8 am for driver Coaching Emergency Vehicle Operation training. Squad Training Officer Bill Gumbman laid out the cones, and the drivers took their positions. Our fleet of ambulances zigged and zagged, forward and backward through the cones, squeezed through narrow lanes of the orange triangles, and practiced parking in tight spaces. After everyone had successfully completed the course in each ambulance, the two fastest drivers, Bill Gumbman and Dave Kiernan went head-to-head in a race to see who could finish with the fastest time. On First Lieutenant Jason Wagner’s mark, the rigs rolled and the smell of rubber against the pavement filled the air. It was a near photo finish, but in the end Gumbman came out on top by the narrowest of margins- an under 2 second differential! Afterwards, Gumbman displayed the Rutherford Police Department’s High Water Rescue humvee by taking it for a loop on the circuit. Who said training can’t be fun?
P.S. Don’t try this at home, or at the field.
