Each year, we hold our Service Technician Training course in conjunction with some of our vendors. This year, it was held October 22 – 24, 2013. The first two days were classroom sessions held off-site in Van Wert, Ohio, while the third was conducted at our corporate headquarters/manufacturing plant.

We were honored to have 28 technicians attend the course. Present was a mix of dealership technicians and fleet maintenance technicians from various EMS providers. The great states of Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Mississippi, Michigan, Tennessee, and Utah were represented, making this an educational opportunity with far reach.

As usual, our vendors stepped up to join us and provided some invaluable training sessions. Presentations were given by the following vendor representatives:

• Weldon – Marcus Kelley
• PPG – Kent Erickson
• Whelen – Paul Deming
• Progressive Dynamics – Barry Lemmons
• Vanner – Doug Dean and Jeff Carey
• Kelderman Air Ride Suspension represented by Hadley and Utility Body Works – Daniel Nowicki, Tom Cox, and Daryl Palma
• Hoseline – Greg Weber, Matt Grafton, Chris Miller

In addition to our vendor sessions, our internal Service Department offered education of their own. Topics covered were EZ Glide door maintenance and roller replacement, OS door maintenance and latch and rod adjustment, and general periodic maintenance skills.

Hands-on experience is one of the most valuable learning tools offered in our course. We had a session on electrical troubleshooting where we created electrical issues on 3 trucks and presented them to the students as a service order/customer complaint. Attendees were separated into smaller groups and assigned a truck to work on. They then went through the troubleshooting and repair process from start to finish for the 6 separate electrical issues we fabricated.

HVAC maintenance is critical for patient and crew comfort, and was also an important topic covered. Focused on identifying an issue and properly fixing it, we hooked up gauges to a completed emergency vehicle. As a group, we discussed high and low side pressures and what they mean from a troubleshooting standpoint.

Lastly, we used our time in the plant to conduct a four hour line tour. This was a detailed look at how Braun ambulances are built, with the unique opportunity for service technicians to interact directly with plant workers as the units are being manufactured. Split into small groups of no more than 5, we encouraged attendees to ask questions, talk to the operators on the production line, and get inside the units to see exactly how they were being put together.

The course was well received by attendees and vendors. In fact, we already having vendors requesting a slot to participate in next year’s course! Mark your calendars now for October 21-23, 2014 if you plan to attend. We’d love to have you!

Thank you to everyone who participated in making this years’ Service Technician Training Course a success!