Course Description

The Fundamentals of School Bus Rescue program is a 12-hour technical-level training course that provides emergency responders with the knowledge and practical skills required to effectively manage and perform rescue operations involving school buses. Due to the unique construction features, occupant configurations, and operational environments associated with school buses, specialized tactics and methods are essential for safe and efficient victim access, disentanglement, and removal.

 

Classroom Learning Objectives:

• Explain the structural characteristics and design features unique to school buses that influence rescue operations.

• Identify and manage operational, triage, and command considerations during school bus incidents.

• Develop an incident action plan that integrates stabilization, access, disentanglement, and patient care.

 

Hands-on Training Objectives:

• Assess, stabilize, and lift a vehicle involved in a school bus under-ride incident, ensuring a controlled environment for patient access and retrieval.

• Stabilize a bus on its wheels and perform access operations through the front, rear, and side areas using standard and alternative entry techniques.

• Operate, force, and enlarge primary and secondary egress points, including front and rear doors and window assemblies.

• Displace interior components such as seats, steering columns, and dashboards to create viable patient removal paths.

• Create and enlarge side and roof openings to improve access and ventilation during complex entrapment scenarios.

• Stabilize and lift a bus on its side using mechanical advantage and cribbing systems to control movement and gain access through the roof or sidewall.

• Package and remove patients from upright, side-resting, and under-ride configurations while maintaining safety, communication, and coordinated movement.

 

This course aligns with and exceeds the applicable Job Performance Requirements (JPRs) outlined in NFPA 1006: Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications (Chapters 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 — Vehicle Rescue Operations) and supports operational guidance consistent with NFPA 1670: Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents, NFPA 1500: Standard on Fire Department Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellness Program, and NFPA 1561: Standard on Emergency Services Incident Management System.