Driver Awareness Instructor course for firefighters

Reduce Risk | Build In-House Expertise

Fire apparatus crashes are one of the leading causes of firefighter injuries and line-of-duty deaths. According to NFPA and NHTSA data, thousands of fire department vehicle collisions occur every year—many resulting in serious injuries, costly apparatus damage, and significant liability exposure for departments.

The most effective way to reduce these incidents is clear: consistent, high-quality driver training delivered by qualified instructors who understand fire service operations.

This Driver Awareness Instructor Course for Firefighters is a comprehensive Train-the-Trainer program designed to give your department the ability to train its own drivers—continuously, consistently, and defensibly.

Fire apparatus collisions are expensive. Even a minor incident can result in tens of thousands of dollars in repair costs, vehicle downtime, increased insurance premiums, and administrative burden—before injuries or liability are even considered.

Avoiding just one preventable collision can easily offset the full cost of this training.

This course is designed to identify and correct risky driving behaviors before they result in damaged apparatus or injured firefighters. By building qualified in-house instructors, your department gains the ability to reinforce safe driving practices continuously—protecting both personnel and equipment.

When viewed through a risk-management lens, this training is not an expense;
It is an investment that can pay for itself many times over.

Why This Course Matters

• Driving      is a perishable skill
• Bad      habits develop quietly—and surface violently under stress
• “Failure      to train” is a common allegation following serious crashes
• Outside      training is expensive and difficult to schedule

This course solves those problems by creating qualified in-house instructors who can train firefighters on an ongoing basis and maintain proper documentation if training is ever scrutinized in court or administrative hearings.

What This Course Delivers

Graduates of this course will be prepared to teach:

• Driver      awareness and defensive driving for firefighters
• Emergency      response / Code 3 driving principles
• Roll-call      training, refresher sessions, and full-day courses

This is not an instructor-trainer course. It is designed to prepare firefighters to teach driver awareness and emergency response driving, not to certify future instructors.

NEXT COURSE:

March 16-19, 2026

Location:

San Diego Sheriff's Dept EVOC Facility: 

7361 Otay Mesa Rd, San Diego, CA 92154

https://goo.gl/maps/xQbHWrrmq6N3Ws8x9

Note that your GPS may say this is San Ysidro Elementary School.  It is not!

Tuition: $2,139

Email us at TheDrivingCompany@Gmail.com to get on the roster.

  Your new instructors leave with everything needed to begin training immediately:

• Expanded course outlines
• Instructor safety plans
• Lesson plans
• Student evaluation forms
• PowerPoint presentations
• Case studies with video
• Learning activities with diagrams
• Training videos
• Emergency Vehicle Operations Course workbooks

All materials are formatted for real-world use and defensible documentation.

What Your Instructors Will Learn

• Writing learning objectives, outlines, safety plans, and lesson plans
• Adult learning concepts and student-centered instruction
• Effective presentation techniques that keep students engaged
• Time management and classroom control
• Handling difficult students
• Creating custom learning activities
• Understanding instructor and agency liability
• Training policy considerations

On-Site Training at Your Department

The Driving Company can bring this course directly to your department.

• Optimal class size: 12 students
• Low student-to-instructor ratio
• Requires a classroom and suitable driving area
• Parking lot size adjusted to vehicle types being used

Departments often partner with neighboring agencies to fill a class and reduce per-student costs.  We travel anywhere. Distance is not a limitation!

Most departments typically partner with neighboring agencies or fire districts to fill the class with 12 students. 

 On-site pricing varies based on location and travel requirements. We work hard to keep expenses—and your costs—as low as possible. Our team has extensive experience working for public agencies and understands budget constraints. 

 Our instructors have experience training divers on:

SUVs and pickups

• Type 3, Type 6, and Type 1 Engines
• Brush Rigs
• Super Singles
• Water Tenders
• Tillers (tiller drivers included)

If you have it, we can train it!

Training can be expensive,  not training is far more expensive.

This course gives your department the tools, instructors, and documentation needed to protect your firefighters, your apparatus, and your agency.