Getting behind the wheel is the easiest part of driving in Turkey, where motorists require nerves of steel to navigate the heavy traffic and reckless drivers. For ambulance drivers, it is an extra challenge. Carrying out their vital job of getting patients to the hospital while also looking out for their own safety, their days are often strenuous.
A strict traffic training program prepares the professionals for all the risks on the road. Drivers working for Turkey's main emergency hotline ambulance service, 112, learn all the tricks of the road for their safety and that of their patients at courses provided in all 81 provinces. Every year, some 1,750 drivers, who also serve as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics, attend the trainings.
The training helps improve their driving skills, allowing them to better navigate extreme weather and road conditions while avoiding accidents. The participants are taught how to come to a perfect stop in case of emergency, how to maintain a safe distance from and overtake vehicles, and their depth perception is improved.
On specially designed tracks, they get accustomed to real-life situations, with an emphasis on fast but safe driving.
One such training program was held in the Sincan district of the capital Ankara on Wednesday, where 25 trainees converged. They first got to know the vehicles and how to detect technical problems, before moving on to the driving. Çağla Ünal, a former paramedic, trains the drivers. Ünal sees the group through a 32-hour weekly session. Those who pass the training are given certificates that allow them to apply for jobs in emergency services.
"We teach them everything. For example, we teach them what to do when they are faced with a challenge en route to emergency. There are many scenarios that may play out in the field. A child escaping from the grip of his/her parents can dash on to road or some driver can suddenly steer in front of them. You have to do the right maneuver to avoid an accident. Accidents are especially common at intersections. Even if you are driving an ambulance, you have no right of way at intersections, though most ambulance drivers believe this is the case. Like other drivers, we have to comply with traffic rules," she told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday on the sidelines of the training session.
Hatice Tekeli, a trainee working at an emergency service in Ankara’s neighboring Kırıkkale province, attends the sessions to sharpen her skills after two years behind the wheel. "This is not a job that every person who can drive can do. You should see it as a profession where you have a role, responsibilities and need training," she says. Tekeli says she has few complaints about her job but underlines that her main challenge is motorists not giving way. "I come across people driving along lanes allocated for ambulances. Some people avoid passing the red light when I am behind them because they think they will be fined. We are racing against them. I want people to know that the person we are carrying to the hospital could be their loved one and to be more sensitive," she says.