2012 AMERICA’S BEST WINNERS
• Technicians 1st Place — Alan Fidler, Tippecanoe School Corp., Lafayette, Ind. 2nd Place — Steve Addison, Jr., Coweta County (Ga.) Schools 3rd Place — John Maxwell, Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District, Dallas Center, Iowa
• Inspectors 1st Place — Jack Defibaugh, Greenbrier (W. Va.) County Schools 2nd Place — Danny Reed, Beaufort (N.C.) County Schools 3rd Place — Shane Cochran, Jefferson County (Ala.) Schools
REPEAT WINS AT AMERICA’S
BEST COMPETITION ALAN FIDLER AND JACK DEFIBAUGH TAKE THE NO. 1 SPOT FOR A SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
WRITTEN BY SYLVIA ARROYO I
t’s two for two for Alan Fidler and Jack Defibaugh as both won the 2012 NAPT America’s Best National School Bus Technician and Inspector Training and Skills competition. Te event was held Sept. 25-28 at the Cummings Engine Training Facility in Rocky Mount, N.C. Fidler, a bus technician from Tippecanoe School Cor-
poration in Lafayette, Ind., received the America’s Best School Bus Technician award. Defibaugh, an inspector for Greenbrier County Schools in West Virginia, won the America’s Best School Bus Inspector award. Tey both won in the same categories last year. A total of 31 competitors from 19 states participated in
the event while 25 school transportation employees from the country took part in the training sessions for both technicians and inspectors. Automotive Service Excellense (ASE), Delco Remy, Hydrotex, Tomas Built, Voith and Zonar Systems were the primary sponsors. Fidler said being the best bus technician stems from “the plain and simple fact that we’re hauling the most precious cargo that we can haul. I want to know that what I did was right when it went out that door,” he said. “I feel everybody should be that way when working on a school bus. Tere’s no second best when it comes to that. Tere’s nothing that makes the news faster than a bus accident.” Defibaugh was excited to have won for a second time.
Knowing that he would inspect Tomas Built buses during the competition — his district has other brand buses — he visited a neighboring county school district to study their buses. He also read the North Carolina speci- fication manual from cover to cover in preparation for the exam portion of the competition. “I’m overwhelmed by the competition, it was amazing,” said Defibaugh. “Te competition seemed a bit different this year, even the written test was more difficult.” He added that this change is a good thing because it keeps
participants on their toes. “Tere’s a big responsibility (in what we do) because we’re transporting those students to and from school and we have to make sure these buses are safe.” Te hands-on phase of the competition challenged
technicians with six diagnostic stations during a three-hour period, while competing inspectors completed four stations throughout a two-hour period. As usual, the highlight of the three-day event was the
interaction and networking of school bus technicians and inspectors from across the country. “It is always exciting to see the America’s Best participants gather each year to share their knowledge, to further their knowledge and to challenge themselves to move to another level of expertise,” said Marshall Casey, retired director of maintenance for the South Carolina Department of Educa- tion and an Amercia’s Best committee member. “It is hard to believe it has been 10 years since we started this event.” Casey noted that plans are already underway to make
certain that the tenth anniversary is a big success. “We ask the industry to join us in 2013 as we gather in Seattle with our host, the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation.”
10 The Show RepoRTeR • OCT 20 –25, 2012
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