Late last month, we held our Annual Service Instruction Course at our corporate headquarters in Van Wert, Ohio. 26 dealer and customer participants attended the three-day session to better understand how to service their Braun emergency vehicles. There, they worked on a 2012 Chief XL, 2006 Express and a 2008 Chief XL. Everyone enjoyed the course and we received a lot of positive feedback  from the group.

View our photo album from the course on Facebook.

The course included troubleshooting clinics, vendor seminars, a detailed question and answer session and a plant tour. Participants had a blast on the tour. We spoke to the entire plant ahead of time, so as the class was split into several small groups for their tour, plant workers were ready to answer their questions and help them better understand the Braun product. The tour lasted approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Our awesome network of vendors really stepped up to put on some valuable presentations. Kussmaul presented on troubleshooting the manual and auto eject system. We then divided the class up into groups of 4 to complete an auto eject rebuild. Hoseline covered troubleshooting and repairing the different Heat/AC systems that we use in our emergency vehicles. Utility Body Werks educated the class on the installation, troubleshooting and repair of the Kelderman air ride system. They were joined by Hadley, the company that provides the electronic components of the Kelderman system. Federal Signal discussed a variety of topics, but primarily focused on the troubleshooting and repair of the Federal Q siren. Weldon provided in-depth V-Mux training, which included troubleshooting and downloading. Vanner presented detailed information on their inverter, which included complete troubleshooting tips and details. Lastly, Whelen educated attendees on the various lights we use on Braun ambulances.

All of our participants seemed to find their time at the instruction course valuable. It was hard for them to pick a favorite with so many good  presentations. Although, the hands on activities with Kussmaul and the door and roller maintenance stood out. Even our vendors enjoyed the course, as it gave them an opportunity to work with Braun Service personnel, dealer technicians and fleet customer maintenance staff.

Here is some feedback from a few of the "students":  

"I am fairly new to service in the specialty vehicle field. After class and the tour of the manufacturing facility, I have a new found respect for the quality of the Braun brand name. It is an amazing piece of equipment. Thank you for the opportunity to come out and train at your facility."

"Excellent knowledge gained. There were a lot of interesting sessions."

"The Braun employees that I came in contact with during the training and plant tour were knowledgeable and respectful, a credit to Braun management."

"Very informative class time and great plant tour! Would like to attend again next year."

Thanks again to everyone  who came out to make our 2012 Annual Service Instruction Course a success! It is an event we look forward to each year, that wouldn't be possible without the support of our dedicated vendor network. We hope that everyone will mark their calendars now to join us in 2013 October 22-24th!