EDMONTON, Canada – As part of its continued commitment to safety and giving back to the community, Stock Transportation donated two buses for live emergency training exercises. A total of 80 individuals from the Edmonton Police Service, Edmonton Fire Department, as well as the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Hazardous Material Response teams participated in the emergency exercises. A special thanks to Kimberly Van Veld, General Manager of Stock Transportation’s Calgary location, and former safety supervisor of the Edmonton location, who played a pivotal role in planning the event over the past year and contributing to its success.
The emergency training exercises included two components. In the first, emergency teams responded to staged bus accidents involving an oil tanker truck with injured passengers that were roleplayed by Stock Transportation’s bus drivers. To replicate the appearances of injuries, makeup artists from the Alberta Academy of Aesthetics donated their makeup services. Following the staged accidents, the fire department performed hands-on training with the buses where they explored the structure and layout of the buses and used extraction tools to strategically cut and dismantle the buses.
To wrap up the day, our team hosted a BBQ luncheon for all participants as gratitude for their donated services and involvement in keeping the community safe.
“The training for our members was invaluable, and the collaboration between the emergency services teams and the industry was met with positive feedback from all involved,” said Christopher Yuskow, Constable, Edmonton Police Service. “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Stock Transportation for their generous donation of the two buses, without which this critical scenario-based training could not have taken place.”
“After a year in the making, we were finally able to plan and conduct live emergency training with the Edmonton Police Service and Edmonton Fire Department, along with the local EMS and Hazardous Material Response teams,” said Kimberly Van Veld, Calgary General Manager, Stock Transportation. “The training was everything I imagined and more. It was an insightful experience seeing all the different teams work together to respond to an emergency situation and increased my respect for them ten-fold. I am glad to have played a hand in bringing this training to fruition to aid in the safety and well-being of our community.”
The bus donations were made as part of Stock Transportation’s company-wide Partners Beyond the Bus community outreach program. These bus donations help repurpose retired, non-electric vehicles from the Company’s fleets, further contributing to the Company’s transition to alternative fuel-powered and zero-emission buses.
About Stock Transportation: For over 62 years, Stock Transportation has proudly been delivering safe, efficient, reliable student transportation services to passengers and procuring buses across Canada. Stock transports over 100,000 students daily, operates more than 3,000 school buses and employs 3,700 outstanding team members who provide exceptional service out of seven Customer Service Centers in both urban and rural areas throughout Ontario and Alberta.
