Contributors: I was given an outdated form of the original test which had been created by the previous FTEP coordinator. The field training officers participated by answering questions I posed about the test, administering the test, and providing feedback. I performed all research, created the final document, and made all revisions.

Problem: The existing driving test to evaluate new employees’ driving ability and coverage area familiarity was outdated and many of the locations listed in the original driving test no longer existed. The test also had no grading mechanism and was therefore graded subjectively by the field training officer administering the test.

Goals:

• Determine exactly what driving skills and local locations needed to be tested
• Create a test that was easy to administer with clear grading guidelines
• Perform the test multiple times, collect feedback, and revise the test as needed.

Solution: I began by meeting with all of the field training officers and asking them what driving skills, driving conditions, and coverage area locations they felt needed to be tested. Based on these answers, I created a driving test with grading criteria. For the next several employees to be tested, I instructed the field training officers to perform the new test as written and record any feedback. After getting feedback about the test, I made revisions and posted the test on the field training officer portal as the official test.

Results: The feedback I received from the field training officers was mostly positive. The field training officers noted that the prerequisites, grading guidelines, and instructions were much clearer with a few minor changes suggested. The suggested changes were made, and the finished test was posted to the field training officer portal for use as the official driving clearance test.

Project: As part of the Field Training and Evaluation Program for Bennington Rescue Squad, new employees must demonstrate their ability to safely operate the agency ambulances. It was decided that once employees had completed all other driving requirements, they would be evaluated through a final test. The final test would require the employees to be familiar with the coverage area and to be comfortable with the more complex driving situations they may encounter. I created a written test so all employees could be evaluated objectively on the same test.

Scope: Initial research for the test, polling of field training officers, creation of the test, user testing the document, and revising the document