Abstract

VIDAL-GOMEL, Christine; DELGOULET, Catherine  and  GEOFFROY, Céline. Collective skills and training in driving emergency vehicles within a firefighters’ specialization context in France. Laboreal [online]. 2014, vol.10, n.1, pp.14-31. ISSN 1646-5237.  https://doi.org/10.15667/laborealx0114cvg.

This study was requested by a departmental firefighting and rescue school for firefighters in France. Based on ergonomics and professional didactics approaches, the aim is to analyze the activity of driving two emergency vehicles so to improve the training in the drivers’ specialization context. Based on interviews, observation recordings of emergency departures and self-confrontations, we showed that it is a collective, multidimensional activity and we identified different driving strategies, organized according to the pragmatic concept of “fluidity of traffic”. These strategies may then be used to serve the dual-purpose of a standby patrol service when called for an emergency: to arrive on site as fast as possible and to avoid every road incident. The findings highlight the limits of the current training program and the traps that come along the drivers’ specialization.

Keywords : Heavy trucks driving; emergency service; collective skills; activity analysis; training.

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