Photo By Lance Cpl. Stephanie Varela | U.S. Marines conduct driving tests during an Emergency Vehicle Course on Camp Foster,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, O’AHU, Hawaii – III Marine Expeditionary Force held its first Basic Emergency Vehicle Operator (EVO) and Emergency Vehicle Operator Instructor Course (EVOC) June 13-17, 2022, for Marines stationed at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
To date, there is only one road master assigned to the island of O’ahu, Gunnery Sgt. Richard Figueroa. Because of the lack of available certified instructors, he requested the aid of III MEF’s EVO instructors to travel from Okinawa, Japan, and teach an EVO/EVOI course.
“The island of O’aho is too large for one person to patrol and respond,” said Figueroa. “[My hope] is to one day mirror the [road master] program size of Okinawa.”
A road master is assigned to every Marine Corps base on island to ensure orders and regulations are upheld by tactical and government vehicle operators.
Prior to the June course, EVOCs were only ran when the few civilian instructors working at the base were available. But now, Figueroa and other Marines can run courses on a regular basis, a huge milestone in increasing the overall safety and readiness of the base.
The course is a Department of Defense requirement and gives Marines the opportunity to earn a three-year certification for free. In the civilian sector, the equivalent to this course would cost a company anywhere between $20,000 to $40,000 depending on the certification platform and certifying company.
“The course ensures that road masters, ambulance operators, military police, Crash Fire Rescue, and anyone driving a vehicle that has the abilities to sound sirens and lights, know how to properly execute those duties when it comes time to do so in the right, and ultimately the safest, manner,” said Staff Sgt. Yudex Franceschi, an emergency vehicle operator instructor with III MEF.
The course curriculum was derived from the Naval Safety Center, covering applicable laws, defensive driving techniques, basic inspection, maintenance, mannerisms, and other skills that allow Marines to operate an emergency vehicle safely.
Emergency Vehicle Operator Courses for III MEF differ from I MEF and II MEF due to mission requirements. Approximately 90% of students are motor transportation operators and chiefs who predominantly certify to become road masters, said Franceschi. For that reason, the teaching material incorporates a lot of standard operating procedures and motor transportation lessons that will better prepare them for situations they may encounter on the road.
“The presence of road masters is essential and positively impacts motor transport operations and maintenance,” said Figueroa. “Operators are more alert, develop better driving habits, are more concerned with safety and conducting crew level maintenance, and generally perform their duties in a more conscientious manner.”
For the June EVO instructor course, students consisted of two active-duty military police, three military police civilian contractors, and one crash fire rescue Marine, and Figueroa.
Each course is tailored to the type of Marine being instructed. Within each course, students are trained on the type of vehicle they will be expected to use in their job. For this reason, EVOC instructors are required to know the parameters for all emergency vehicles and the regulations and procedures that coincide with them.
“It’s the difference between doing things wrong and doing things right,” said Franceschi. “We want to educate Marines and have them take that knowledge and be able to educate their peers and leaders.”
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| Date Taken: | 08.12.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2022 01:13 |
| Story ID: | 427102 |
| Location: | O'AHO, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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