AMF-Bruns’ Maritza Valentin leads wheelchair securement training provided to TSD Conference attendees last November. The company’s “Boot Camp” will also be presented next month at TSD Conference in Frisco, Texas.
refresher especially with new wheel- chairs and products.” Reaume added that the evolution of
wheelchair technology has complicat- ed what was already a demanding set of tasks. While newer chairs tend to be more comfortable for users, many are also larger and more complex, and few are designed to be secured. “It requires a lot of training, more than I think most people recognized a few years ago,” he added. To address changing needs, about
five years ago Q’Straint launched its training academy. “We realized that something like a 20-minute video just wasn’t sufficient,” Reaume recalled. Today, the academy includes a full
array of courses and webinars designed to prepare not only safety trainers, but also individual drivers and others in school districts to be as safe as possible when transporting students. He added that along with a wide
range of specific topics, a recently add- ed feature is a roundup of best practices from school districts and transporta- tion departments across the country. As one example, he cited the practice of some districts to hold meetings at the start of the school with parents and transportation officials. The sessions focus on details such as where to attach ties on a given type of chair, with the student’s family and the transportation department making that determination together. Regardless of the source of informa-
tion or the way training is delivered, repetition is important, DeHav- en stressed. “Train every year on the same topic,
even if you have a driver that is a 20- year veteran,” she said. “We all tend to get comfortable. Retraining just emphasizes the importance of paying attention to details.” This means requiring staff to demon-
How frequently is staffed trained on wheelchair securement?
41% Annually Upon Hire
33% Other (as needed, when new equipment is purchased, no wheelchair securement equipment, etc.)
14% Every couple of years 12% Bi-Annually
1% Quarterly (Out of 88 responses from a recent STN magazine survey.)
www.stnonline.com 55
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