Practice makes perfect, and you can never get enough work in when it comes to the safety of students on board the school bus.
Paul Hasenmeier, fire chief and public safety director for Hernando County Fire Rescue in Florida, prepares to sign a copy of his book “School Bus Extrication” at STN EXPO West on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
In a smoke-filled finale to conclude STN EXPO West this summer, fire safety expert Paul Hasenmeier Paul Hasenmeier will lead an emergency evacuation training July 16 that will begin with a presentation on what every student transportation professional needs to know about how fire departments respond to school bus fire.
The training will then move outdoors at the Peppermill Resort, where local Washoe County school buses will be filled with non-toxic theater smoke to mimic the conditions of a school bus fire. Attendees will participate in real-life evacuation simulations, using practice scenarios to safely evacuate themselves and any students that could be onboard the bus.
The session will look to provide participants with not only the skills needed to react quickly in an emergency but also instruction on how to coordinate with their local fire departments to plan future training exercises.
Save $100 on regular conference registration with Early Bird registration by June 6. STN EXPO West will be held July 11-16 in Reno, Nevada at the Peppermill Resort. Find registration and hotel details, conference agenda, exhibitor lists & more information on this and other training opportunities at stnexpo.com/west.
Locals in Franklin County, Kentucky, are questioning why the local school district did not to cancel classes amid heavy rain and flooding that ultimately claimed the life of a 9-year-old student who was walking to his bus stop.
Franklin County Schools Superintendent Mark Kopp released a statement on social media confirming the death of one of their students, later identified as Gabriel Andrews, on April morning at approximately 6:35 a.m. It was the last school day before Spring Break.
The statement also included additional comments from the Frankfort Police Department, Mayor Wilkerson and Judge Michael Mueller.
Assistant Police Chief Scott Tracy said via dispatch received a call regarding a juvenile male caught in flood waters in the Hickory Hills area. A Franklin police officer was the first to arrive at the scene, followed by Frankfort Fire and EMS, Frankfort Franklin County Emergency Management, and other local emergency agencies that conducted an extensive search and rescue operation.
According to Tracy, emergency crews recovered the body of Andrews at approximately 8:45 a.m. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, comments of social media posts reflected strong opinions about the district’s decision to hold school amid the severe weather challenges and flooding the state was facing as reported by the National Weather Service. Parents were concerned since two bus routes from the district had been cancelled, while others routes were not. STN reached out to the district regarding the routes and decision not to cancel school, but did not hear back at this report.
Additionally, many people shared their condolences to the child’s family through Facebook posts.
Both Wilkerson and Mueller extended their condolences to the family, gave thanks to first responders for their rapid response, and encouraged the community to stay safe during the weekend’s severe weather event.
CONCORD, N.C. — The second full day of training at STN EXPO East saw qualified participants bussed to Topgolf Charlotte-Southwest for the exclusive Transportation Director Summit led by sports author and trainer Scott Welle. Other participants traveled to Cabarrus County Schools for the National School Bus Inspection Training.
Back at the conference center, industry veterans and experts led sessions on student school bus captains, illegal passing, pre-k safety restraints, student homelessness, children left on school buses, and more. Violent incident applications such as driver response training, fire department collaboration, and mock casualty events were also discussed.
Attendees and vendors networked amid several food and drink stations that evening at a party hosted by HSM.
CONCORD, N.C. – A mock casualty drill teaches school bus drivers how to evacuate children quickly and first responders how to access a school bus that’s been involved in an incident.
Developing such exercises with local first responders help a transportation operation become proactive, if an emergency event were to occur. While student transporters can’t prepare for everything, transportation directors and a fire chief discussed the importance of involving all stakeholders when administering such an event during a panel discussion at STN EXPO East on Saturday.
Paul Hasenmeier, chief and public safety director with Hernando County Fire Rescue in Florida, presented prior to the panel discussion about how emergency responders mitigate challenges and prepare for emergencies. Hasenmeier shared case studies and provided examples of where emergency responders would cut the school bus to rescue trapped children or school bus drivers.
In an interactive panel discussion, Katrina Morris, transportation director for West Shore ESD and the president of the Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation, explained that she rolled a bus on its side and the fire department cut through it at precise locations. They also set a school bus on fire, which surprised first responders as they didn’t believe the bus would burn as quickly as it did.
Peggy Stone, the transportation director for Lincoln County Schools in West Virginia, added that her staff also flipped a school bus on its side. She said because the district is very rural and firefighters are volunteers, she knows the response time will be long if an incident was to occur. Stone added that the event was a school bus driver’s idea.
She added that driver and student volunteers portrayed injured patients needing assistance.
Stone added that once a year Lincoln County fogs a bus and holds a driver competition to determine who can save the children, life-sized dolls, the fastest. She advised when considing a mock drill to start small like fogging a school bus with hidden training dolls inside.
Casualty Training for Students with Special Needs
Morris, whose operation serves primarily students with special needs at several member school districts, said that even if an emergency drill can’t be performed with every student, the process should be documented.
She also advised inviting law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMS visit schools to speak with students, especially those with disabilities so they become familiar with the emergency vehicles and personnel.
Attendee Beth Allison, safety and training instructor for Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia, said she was driving a school bus when a student had a seizure. Because she wasn’t the normal driver on that route, she said she didn’t have training on what to do and relied solely on her instincts.
“If we don’t prepare for something we don’t want to talk about, when it happens it’s going to be chaos,” said Hasenmeier, who moderated the panel.
He advised setting up a time with first responders to sit on the school bus for a route with students with special needs to get a better idea of behaviors.
Another attendee shared that a parent told their child to never exit the school bus unless they had arrived at home or school. That presented a challenge when the school bus broke down on route, and the child wouldn’t leave.
Morris said emergency training can be challenging and advised giving students jobs so they can help in a situation.
Other considerations when creating casualties are language barriers and the fact that most students have cell phones and can call their parents at any moment. Morris said she utilizes some law enforcement officers and school administrators who are bilingual to help communicate, but a language barrier wasn’t covered in the mock drill.
Meanwhile, another attendee shared that after a crash, parents arrived on scene and picked their children up before the district and first responders arrived. He asked the attendees how to communicate the plan with parents.
Morris said she set up specific communications district-wide. She said the announcement will indicate that an incident occurred, and an updated will be provided in 15 minutes, “but don’t go to the scene.”
She added it’s important to train drivers to not release children directly to their parents.
Stone noted that her district requires children to be signed out.
Stone said all agencies met following the mock drill and discussed lessons learned, such as school drivers who are on the radio too much and need to keep channels clear for emergencies.
Morris added that besides the school bus drill, her staff held another drill consisting of a school evacuation, where they ran into a couple of glitches.
“We don’t look at them as failures, but instead opportunities on where we can improve,” she said.
Tips & Tricks
Stone discussed the importance of inviting the media to attend the mock casualty drill. She underlined the importance of building a relationship with the media, so that when things do go wrong, they call before publishing or airing one-side of the story. She added it’s important to inform the parents as well, so that they don’t panic when they see an overturned bus on the side of the road.
Attendee Allison added that first responders didn’t know her school district had electric school buses in the county for nearly two years. Now that they have propane school buses, she said it’s important to make them aware so they can be better prepared.
Hasenmeier said the responsibility of producing mock drills should not fall fully on the school district. Instead, he said that first responders want to be involved. He advised having someone at the drill taking notes and documenting with pictures so that the event can be reviewed with participants and the training can be shared with others.
“Use it to help you gain credibility to the community,” he said.
Morris added that her event was also a morale booster because it was training specifically designed for the school bus drivers. She said it strengthened the bond the drivers have.
Two major hurricanes swept through the Southeast last year, causing catastrophic damage, widespread power outages and devastation.
These weather events greatly disrupted the educational system in several states, but student transportation departments did not go on hiatus. At the STN EXPO East Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, transportation directors from the areas affected by severe 2024 hurricanes last fall discussed their responses to the historic natural events and where they are on the road to recovery.
The panel was facilitated by Derek Graham, an industry consultant who has over three decades of experience. He was state director of pupil transportation with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for 21 years as well as a past president of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. He was joined by Jeremy Stowe, director of transportation for Buncombe County Schools in the Asheville, North Carolina, area, and Laura Hill, general manager of transportation at Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa, Florida.
Hill opened with her experiences, first with Hurricane Helene and then with Hurricane Milton 11 days later. She oversees transportation for a large district, where 80,000 students are transported every day over 800-plus routes.
Hurricanes are nothing new for Florida, which Hill said routinely can include evacuations using school buses and using school campuses as shelters. However, Helene was called the “100 Year Storm” for the upper Gulf Coast of Florida, with historic levels of flooding, power outages and infrastructure damage.
School closures for weather events, she explained, normally lasted three to four day. But in the aftermath of Helene, Hillsbourough schools were closed for two weeks.
She explained that because of Florida’s experience with heavy winds, the school buses had already been parked close together to minimize wind damage. She said her staff also had scheduled fuel deliveries before Helene, but because of the damage didn’t have an opportunity to refuel before Milton hit. Infrastructure damage, mainly from trees falling on power lines and road closures due to sinkholes created a prolonged school closure for the Florida district.
Buncombe County Schools did not have a hurricane plan, said Stowe. On Sept. 26, when Helene began, Stowe said eight school buses were on standby to aid with evacuations. By 4 a.m. the next day, the fire marshal called and said he needed more buses and that first responders didn’t realize how bad this storm would be. Stowe continued that this began an extended effort on his part and that of his team to work side by-side with first responders and emergency management personnel.
“We had an opportunity to show up,” he said of the transportation department. “We’re the ones who show up when no one else does.”
He continued that four “R’s” that come into play with any catastrophic natural disaster: Response, Recovery, Reopening and Relationships.
Even Stowe’s college-aged son joined the response team, having recently acquired his school bus driving endorsement. He drove fuel trucks to fire departments. Stowe explained that unlike some other districts, Buncombe does not have a central fueling station. Instead, fueling trucks drive directly to school buses to refuel them. Stowe said he “became very popular” with emergency management teams as he had a store of fuel in supply.
One important process to remember, said Stowe, is that during rescue and response efforts make sure to track all activities with photos and thorough documentation. This is often needed soon after the initial response phase to receive reimbursement from FEMA via other aid organizations.
“When my CFO calls, I have the receipts of everything we did, who asked for help, why I sent it and what we did,” he added.
Stowe also noted that with many homes destroyed, the number of displaced students needing transportation soared to 1,200 from the normal list of 80 to 100 students who qualify under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. He continued that he meticulously tracked what resources were used to transport the additional displaced students (which included hiring contractor EverDriven), since only storm-related costs were to be reimbursed.
Meanwhile, the standard McKinney-Vento students remained the district’s budgetary and operational responsibility. For students with special needs or disabilities, he said transportation made sure to transport them to and from critical appointments, such as medical needs.
Creating relationships with first responders and key district personnel was crucial, said Stowe.
“Be that shining face of your department, know who you need to know,” he said.
To create seamless cooperation with emergency management teams, he advised transportation directors to all take the FEMA ICS-100 course, which is an “introduction to the Incident Command System.” He explained that any federal or local government agency will follow this protocol exactly, and knowing how the command structure works can allow transportation to smoothly join process.
The recovery process included crucial input from transportation, as Stowe, Hill and Grant each noted that there is constant pressure to reopen schools and give students a return to normalcy as soon as possible. With many families still without power or low on food, those resources can be provided at school.
Stowe said his drivers were recruited and paid to drive their routes and identify roads and bus stops that were not serviceable, as well as provide visual inspections of damage from flooding and downed power lines.
“You don’t realize how much a part of the community you and your school buses are,” said Stowe. “You are the backbone of the community.”
Buncombe County didn’t have a protracted recovery, but rebuilding is ongoing, as many roads are still not drivable. Stowe said that has led to routing complications and subsequent parent requests for routes that cannot be safely done.
“For a road to be open for a school bus route, the bus must be able to travel in its assigned lane without crossing the double yellow line into oncoming traffic,” he explained.
Graham said that in his experience with North Carolina storms, administrators often want a book afterward that is filled with an exact plan of what to do when a storm hits. But as he and Stowe both stated, response is a moving puzzle. Instead of trying to create a detailed plan for every scenario, Stowe said his mindset for transportation is to, “Stay in our lane and know who I need to move and how I need to move them. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a shooter or a gas break, we just need to move them.”
Transportation accomplishes this by keeping track of how many people are in any given school building and how many buses would be needed to evacuate those individuals, Stowe shared.
Attendees in the audience shared their experiences with hurricane response, which also included similar experiences of extended school closures, power outages and damages. One attendee from Colorado also recommended the ICS-700 course, as that is what the National Guard also uses, and knowing how it works can help transportation sync communication with emergency management.
As Stowe explained, “Run the same models within the district so we’re not speaking two different languages. Cut and paste your team into those larger structures.”
Bill Wen, senior director of transportation services at Orange County Public Schools in Orlando Florida, said his district created a District Incident Management Team that includes leadership from different district departments to coordinate emergency management responses.
All three panelists and many of the attendees noted that before disaster struck, they thought it would never happen to them or in their area. To be equipped for a natural disaster, preparations can be made, training can be done, and directors can start building relationships with local support systems.
From left: Jeremy Stowe, Laura Hill and Derek Graham pose together at the 2025 STN EXPO East Conference
More than 200 transportation and emergency response professionals gathered recently for the second annual Operation STEER (Student Transportation Emergency Education and Response), a hands-on school bus safety training initiative aimed at improving emergency preparedness for school transportation personnel statewide.
Hosted by Region 6 Education Service Center (ESC) on March 1 and in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, the full-scale training event held at the Hays Consolidated Independent School District Transportation Training Facility near Austin provided live emergency simulations for school bus drivers, first responders and education officials. Attendees represented over 65 Texas school districts, reinforcing the program’s growing statewide impact.
Diane Wilson, the school bus safety training specialist for Region 6 ESC, first conceived Operation STEER after attending an emergency evacuation training session at the TSD Conference in November 2023. The immersive experience, led by Launi Harden, Denny Coughlin, Diandra Nugent, and Aaron Harris, places participants in high-pressure crisis scenarios, including evacuating a smoke-filled school bus, securing and handling training dolls representing children of various ages, and practicing emergency techniques such as seatbelt cutting, fire extinguisher use, and proper evacuation methods.
“The ability to remain calm and take decisive action in a crisis can be the difference between life and death,” Wilson said. “I wanted to bring that level of preparedness to Texas so that our school transportation teams and emergency responders could experience firsthand what it’s like to manage these high-pressure situations.”
By expanding on the TSD Conference’s core training elements, Wilson designed Operation STEER to offer school districts a realistic, scenario-based approach to handling transportation emergencies. The program also prioritizes assistance for preschoolers and students with disabilities, ensuring all children receive the specialized care and securement they need during an evacuation.
Operation STEER is made possible through a collaboration between Region 6 ESC and a grant from the Texas Department of Transportation, with support from industry partners and vendors that contributed resources, expertise and donations to enhance the training experience.
“Their contributions were essential in delivering a comprehensive and impactful training experience,” Wilson said. “With the support of these industry leaders, we’re able to continuously expand and improve our training efforts, ensuring that school transportation professionals and first responders receive the most effective hands-on experience possible.”
Participation in Operation STEER has grown significantly compared to its inaugural year. This year’s event brought together over 200 attendees, including transportation dispatchers, bus drivers, transportation directors, school bus driver trainers, firefighters, EMS students, and first responder trainees.
“This diverse group of professionals creates a richer, more collaborative learning environment,” Wilson explained. “It’s not just about training school bus staff, it’s about ensuring that emergency responders, transportation leaders and safety professionals are working together as a unit to handle real-life scenarios.”
With the program’s train-the-trainer model, school districts can implement Operation STEER’s lessons within their own communities, ensuring that best practices reach transportation teams across Texas.
The event featured interactive emergency response exercises, equipping participants with critical life-saving skills through immersive, real-world scenarios. Key demonstrations included:
Live extrication exercises with Travis County Fire Rescue, simulating school bus rescue scenarios using specialized equipment.
Smoke-filled bus evacuation drills, allowing participants to practice safe student extraction in low-visibility emergency conditions.
Fire extinguisher training, teaching bus drivers how to control small fires before they escalate.
CPR, first aid, and “Stop the Bleed” training, provided by the Capital Area of Texas Regional Advisory Council (CATRAC).
Special needs student securement and evacuation, in collaboration with BESI and Q’Straint, focusing on the unique challenges of assisting students with disabilities.
Emergency railroad evacuation drills, conducted with Operation Lifesaver and Leander Independent School District, reinforcing best practices for evacuations near railways.
Wilson emphasized that the curriculum is continuously evolving based on industry best practices and feedback from past participants.
“This year, we placed a greater emphasis on special needs student securement and evacuation procedures,” she said. “We wanted to ensure that transportation personnel are equipped to assist students with a wider range of disabilities during emergency situations.”
Wilson said she is already planning expanded future Operation STEER events.
Wilson shared she and her team are considering introducing new training modules, including active assault/weapon response scenarios and extreme student behavior management, to better prepare transportation professionals for complex crisis situations.
“We want to make sure that transportation staff are fully equipped to handle complex, high-stress situations in real time,” Wilson noted.
In addition to expanding the event’s content, Wilson said she has her sights set on broadening the program’s geographic reach.
“Our vision is to take Operation STEER to all regions of Texas, ensuring that every school district and emergency responder has access to this essential training,” she said. “We’re also exploring ways to share this experience at a national level, helping other states strengthen their student transportation safety measures.”
This year’s sponsors were: Holt Truck Centers; Longhorn Bus Sales; Smart Tag; IMMI/Safeguard; United Safety and Survivability; BESI, Inc.; First Services/First Student; Q’Straint/Sure-Lok; and Adroit.
First responders from the Travis County Fire Department coach a student transportation trainee on the proper technique and usage of a fire extinguisher during Operation STEER on March 1, 2025. The trainee is practicing the PASS method on a live diesel-fueled fire.
A school bus transporting 10 students in Sherbon, Massachusetts, veered off the road after the driver suffered a medical emergency.
The Sherborn Fire and Rescue Department released a statement Thursday confirming that the crash occurred when the school bus driver was dropping students off from school.
The driver, who was not identified at this writing, had reportedly come to a complete stop and was driving slowly when they experienced a medical emergency, causing the school bus to crash into trees.
There were no other injuries reported. All the students were checked by medical professionals at the scene and released to their parents shortly after. The school bus driver was transported to a local hospital, and their condition was unknown at this report.
A student told local news reporters that the school driver hit the curb before crashing into a pole and then a tree. Neighbors witnessed the incident and rushed to help evacuate the students.
The Sherborn Fire and Rescue Department posted photos of the scene on their social media. The incident remains under investigation.
A crash involving a school bus and a pickup truck left one dead following a medical emergency, reported Fox 8.
The incident occurred Feb. 24. According to the article, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered a pickup truck with a sole occupant and a school bus with a driver and 32 students on board. Only one student reported an ankle injury, but they were checked out and released on scene.
Investigation into the crash reportedly revealed that the bus had stopped to let students off, with a 2023 Chevy Silverado stopping behind. Witnesses on scene say the bus turned off the flashing red lights and started driving. However, the truck accelerated and ran into the rear of the bus.
The article states the truck was driven by 62-year-old Eric Brandewie. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers stated via the article that the family of Brandewie shared he had called his wife just minutes before the incident, reporting chest pains and profuse sweating. He was on his way to his daughter’s house so they could go to the hospital together.
Authorities said they believe the cause of the crash is the result of a medical emergency, but the investigation is ongoing until an autopsy is completed.
Furthering school bus safety through comprehensive emergency training is a joint effort between transportation and first responders, a topic that STN EXPO East panelists will discuss in North Carolina.
Paul Hasenmeier, public safety director and fire chief at Hernando County Fire Rescue in Florida, will share his firsthand experience responding to school bus incidents, including fires and crashes. He will provide insight into how student transportation can partner with fire departments during his session “Fire Department Response to School Bus Incidents” on Saturday, March 22.
Hasenmeier is also the author of “School Bus Extrication,” which details the technical training and school bus construction knowledge necessary for firefighters to quickly and adequately respond to school bus emergencies requiring student or driver extraction.
During his STN EXPO presentation, Hasenmeier will discuss how fire departments approach crashes and fires involving school buses, including internal combustion and electric models. The presentation will include photos and analysis of the various situations and environments firefighters can encounter and lessons learned that student transporters can take away to better prepare their drivers and students being transporter.
Following that session, Hasenmeier will facilitate a panel discussion on “Developing Mock Casualty Exercises with Local First Responders.” He will be joined by Peggy Stone, director of transportation for Lincoln County Schools in West Virginia, and Katrina Morris, executive director of the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation and transportation director for West Shore Educational Service District.
Morris and Stone will discuss with Hasenmeier how to build relationships with local fire departments and learn how to provide necessary provisions for emergency training exercises. They will lead an interactive discussion with attendees on the planning needed to create training scenarios that will equip student transporters for potential emergency situations.
The STN EXPO East conference will be held March 20-25 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Concord Golf Resort & Spa in North Carolina. Register at stnexpo.com/east.
Students cross the street to their illuminated school bus. Photo courtesy of FIrst Light Safety Products Cover design by Kimber Horne
Safety takes the front page in this month’s issue. Read articles about how student transporters are furthering student safety through emergency drills, implementation of technology that combats illegal passing, preparing technicians with necessary skills as well as governmental changes that could impact the industry.
Check out the STN EXPO East (March 20-25) Conference Preview that includes agenda details, daily schedule and unique networking events.
Exercise Plan
Student transporters are sharing the training and safety benefits of conducting mock causality school bus drills, not only for transportation staff but local emergency management teams.
STN EXPO East Preview
Though the conference and trade show kicks off for the first time in a new locale of Concord, North Carolina, the event offers the same tried-and-true content, commerce and community opportunities the industry has grown to appreciate.
Special Report
Combatting Illegal Passing with Awareness, Technology
Illegally passing motorists are one of the industry’s largest threats to student safety at school bus stops. Districts share what technological solutions are helping.
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