Game-like simulator helping Acadian Ambulance train its drivers

BATON ROUGE – East Baton Rouge EMS is now using a driving simulator for training, testing, and correcting paramedics.

The machine replicates scenarios to prepare drivers for high stress situations like inclement weather. All the features of an ambulance are included like lights and sirens.

“People are distracted; they don’t hear or see the sirens or the ambulance coming up behind them until the last minute,” Brad Harris with East Baton Rouge EMS said. “Then they jam on the breaks in front of us, causing us to swerve around them.”

On Tuesday, an Acadian ambulance driving in Morganza collided with a semi-truck after hitting another car. The driver, Kymber Nezat, and the patient, Albert Bordelon, died. Another paramedic, Hunter Fruge, was seriously injured. 

Fruge is now conscious and said to be improving. 

“We always want our employees to be safe when they go on shift and they get out behind the wheel,” Caitlin Russo with Acadian Ambulance said.

In response to the accident, the CEO of Acadian Ambulance Richard Zuschlag said that “it is abundantly clear that [the paramedics’] selfless dedication and unwavering commitment to caring for others leave an indelible mark on the lives they touch.“

“At the end of the day we want all of our medics to come home safely,” Russo said.

Harris says the incident is also a reminder for all drivers on how to respond to an emergency vehicle on the road.

“The best thing to do is to slow down, stop on the right if you can,” He said.

EMS workers are required to complete a 16-hour ambulance driving course with classroom, simulator and actual in car driving time.

Should a driver get in a crash, dash-cam video from the ambulance can be used to replicate the incident for future trainees.