In a blend of emergency services and motorsport expertise, ambulance crews are now among the most skilled emergency drivers following specialist training at the island’s premier racing facility.
The serene surroundings of Bushy Park racing circuit in St Philip have recently played host to the sounds of ambulance sirens as emergency responders traded their typical urban environment for the controlled conditions of a world-class driving academy.
“The transformation has been remarkable,” says Steve Deeks, chief instructor at the Bushy Park Driving Skills Academy (DSA), who designed the bespoke training programme. “The engagement and commitment from the dedicated and professional team who make up the Barbados Emergency Ambulance Service has been second to none.
When I wrote the training [plan] back in the UK, I could only dream that the delegates would take the material and run with it in the manner they have.”
The four-week intensive course, which concluded in early March, saw approximately 70 emergency medical technicians and paramedics from the Emergency Ambulance Service (EAS) develop advanced driving techniques that blend precision with urgency – skills critical when racing against time to save lives.
Crew members from the Barbados Emergency Ambulance Service during a classroom session with instructor Steve Deeks.
Participants were divided into nine groups, each experiencing a comprehensive curriculum that began daily with 90-minute classroom sessions before moving onto practical applications. The hands-on training included four specialised modules: closed road dynamics with racing line techniques, evasion manoeuvres, precision handling, and accident analysis.
Dr David Byer, medical consultant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with special responsibility for pre-hospital emergency care and the EAS, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership: “On behalf of the Emergency Ambulance Service, it was a pleasure working with the team at Bushy Park. The feedback from our team at all levels has found the knowledge and experience exceptional.”
The training utilised both EAS ambulances and the academy’s Suzuki Swift Sport and Celerio models for circuit exercises, before taking ambulances onto local roads for real-world application through commentary drives.
“Barbados will be safer for it,” Deeks asserts. “The ambulance drivers will be the new standard on the highway – and patients can be sure they are in the best of hands.”
While acknowledging his role as course designer and chief instructor, Deeks credits the success to “the fabulous Bushy Park instructors and the venue itself that made this a reality”, along with sponsors Nassco and ICBL, the QEH and EAS, “which are all committed to improving driving standards”
The initiative aligns with Bushy Park DSA’s mission to reduce road accidents across Barbados by offering advanced driving skills to both professionals and the public. The academy’s programmes were developed with Deeks’ expertise as an English super-licence instructor who has spent over two decades training drivers and creating performance programmes for leading manufacturers, race circuits, and driver academies worldwide.
As ambulance crews return to their regular duties with enhanced skills, Barbadians can take comfort knowing their emergency responders now have the driving capabilities to match their medical expertise – a combination that promises to save more lives when seconds count.(BT/PR)
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