The Detroit News Sgt. Paul Berry of Ladder 4 directs Derrick Mahone as he learns how to park the ladder in the station. This was the first time Mahone was behind the wheel of the vehicle.
Drivers receive substandard training within the department.
This Ladder Company 30 truck responded to a fire at Dwyer and Hilldale East with a smashed up front end from a previous mishap. The instruction consisted of a half-day classroom lecture on basic state driving laws. His practical training has come from driving fire trucks at high speeds to fires. O'Brien's story is the rule, not the exception in the Fire Department. For years, fire officials have put untrained drivers behind the wheels of their biggest trucks.