PUBLISHER’S CORNER Let’s Connect WRITTEN BY TONY CORPIN |
TONY@STNONLINE.COM I
love conferences and training events. Why? Tey are great ways to connect with people and to experience amazing interactions. I always get so busy around the office in my day to day job that it’s nice to break
away. Plus, I really like getting to talk with industry transportation professionals from around the country. Recently, I flew to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a
two-day Wheelchair Securement Training event hosted at the new world headquarters of Q’Straint/Sure-Lok. Tey hosted 47 participants from around the U.S. and Canada. Te training covered everything you need to know about current regulations, best practices, and the application of wheelchair securements on a variety of standard and power chairs. Te event put my eyes, brain and hands to work. I quickly learned that identifying proper securement points was fairly obvious on some wheelchairs but not on others. It became apparent that this process for school bus drivers in a real-life environment is even more challenging. Te idea of getting on the school bus floor and maneuvering around a special needs passenger, trying to locate the best wheelchair securement points and attempting to stay on schedule, would test anyone’s patience. “Te demand for this specialized training is over- whelming,” said Darren Reaume, head of training for Q’Straint/Sure-Lok. “Our annual training event brings together the industry’s best. It’s important to keep partic- ipants abreast of best practices while utilizing wheelchair securements.” It’s plain to see that districts and school bus contrac- tors carry a massive amount of liability transporting special needs passengers. Reaume shared some graphic videos of students who were secured improperly, and they were hard to watch. In one instance, a school bus driver took a sharp turn, causing a wheelchair student to topple over against a bench seat and onto the floor. Te student lay there helpless for what seemed like an eternity before the driver noticed. Q’Straint/Sure-Lok trainers shared other shocking stories of drivers or aides using duct tape and bungee cord to secure students. How can you not afford to to have your staff well trained and up to speed on the changing landscape of special needs transportation?
58 School Transportation News • NOVEMBER 2018 Te good news is there are great resources available
to you. Te Transporting Students with Disabilities & Special Needs Conference on March 15-20, 2019 is jam packed with behavioral, legal and industry experts to help. Additionally, Q’Straint/Sure-Lok agreed to bring its wheelchair securement training to the inaugural STN EXPO Indianapolis conference, which is held on June 7-12, 2019. Tis gives transportation professionals who are interested in this unique experience a second opportunity to participate. Sign-up at
stnexpo.com/east. Seats are limited.
While attending the training in Fort Lauderdale, I ran into a familiar face. I enjoyed reconnecting with Nicole Portee from Denver Public Schools, recipient of our Transportation Director of the Year Award. She shared with me some creative funding ideas, new technology implementations in her fleet, and her vision for the district and the children she transports. She’s quite a remarkable person. Not surprisingly, we also chatted about school bus
driver shortages. Staffing shortages are the new normal these days for everyone who employs school bus drivers. Industry conference speakers and attendees are contin- uously sharing tactics that districts can utilize to attract and retain staff. Is anything working? I used the annual industry meetings in Kansas City last month as an opportunity to ask attendees that very question. Do they see a change in school bus driver recruitment and retention strategies? Did they see any new and exciting products displayed at the trade show? Be sure to talk with the array of OEMs, dealers, product and service suppliers. Tey are an invaluable resource for you and your team. I hope to see you at many of our upcoming
conferences. Be sure to review the enclosed 2019 STN Industry Events Calendar to save all of our conference dates. Get Inspired and Drive Forward the school bus industry in 2019. ●
Tony Corpin Publisher
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