In this issue:
- OTS: Toward Zero Deaths initiative looking at automated vehicles, future of transportation
- State Patrol: Troopers rush heart to Rochester to save transplant patient’s life
- DVS: Services revving up at new exam stations
- Commissioner's corner: Countdown to get to safety in a fire starts at three minutes
- Featured social media
 First responders gathered late last year to learn how automated vehicle technology will affect the way they save lives.
Picture this: You're a first responder arriving at a vehicle crash. Your first move is to assess the condition of the people in the vehicle, but when you walk up to it, there is no door handle. It's a new vehicle with automated doors.
Would you know what to do?
As automated vehicles begin to look less like science fiction and more like a possible new reality, our Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is looking toward the future with an eye for how to keep both people using Minnesota's roads and first responders safe.
-
Necessary: It will help emergency responders save lives in the field, according to Katy Kressin, TZD program coordinator, West Central region. While automated vehicles aren't yet widespread, the time to get prepared is now.
-
First of its kind: First responders gathered late last year for training in automated vehicle technology for emergency responders. The training is the first of its kind in the country.
-
Shaping a curriculum: The training session serves as a pilot program aimed at shaping a national curriculum that equips first responders with the knowledge and skills necessary to safely interact with automated vehicles in an emergency like a car crash.
Learn more here.
 Troopers Mitch Elzen, Mike Pevear and Quintin O’Reilly worked together to save the life of a Minnesota man in need of a heart transplant. They met the man on Jan. 2 in Rochester.
In an emergency, the clock is ticking. Working fast to save a life is all in a day’s work for our Minnesota State Patrol troopers. However, in late October, a team of troopers took on a new challenge, working with Mayo Clinic Health System to get a donor heart from the Twin Cities Metro Area to Rochester in time to save a man’s life.
Troopers Mitch Elzen, Mike Pevear and Quintin O’Reilly worked together to get the organ to the hospital. They met the patient Jan. 2 in Rochester.
-
The call: Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Mauricio Villavicencio had a patient who needed a heart transplant, but the heart was more than an hour away from his hospital and the road between the heart and the hospital was under construction.
-
Solution: Elzen immediately wanted to help but knew it was a lot to ask troopers to keep another vehicle safe while getting the organ to its destination as quickly as possible. Instead, he came up with a better idea: The medical staff could just jump in the back of a squad vehicle, and the troopers could do the driving.
-
Amazing experience: “We do a lot of stuff with the patrol and never see the real outcome at the end,” Elzen said. “It was awesome just to see his face and see him smiling. We were just a small portion of that, but to help out was great.”
Learn more here.
 More Minnesota drivers will be able to take their licensing exams in Buffalo after our Driver and Vehicle Services division opened a new exam station.
We have some good news for wannabe drivers in Lyon and Wright counties: It will soon be easier to get an appointment to take your driver's exam.
Our Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) division opened two new exam stations in Buffalo and Marshall late last year, both of which now offer driver's licensing exams five days a week. The relocation and expansion of the two facilities is part of a larger DVS effort to meet the large demand for licensing exams across Minnesota. DVS offers knowledge and road tests at 93 exam stations across the state to ensure all Minnesota residents have access to the licenses they need.
-
Buffalo facility: The DVS exam station moved to 1006 Commercial Drive in December. Not only will the new facility offer more exam appointments, but it will also begin to offer motorcycle testing for the first time later this year.
-
Marshall facility: The Marshall exam station relocated to 750 W. College Drive on Dec. 4 and will offer additional vehicle inspection services to better serve the needs of Lyon County residents.
-
Get your appointment: To schedule an appointment, visit mn.gov, then select “Schedule or Reschedule an Exam" and follow the prompts.
Learn more here.
How long do you think you'd need to come up with a plan to escape a fire? Is it more than three minutes?
If you have a working smoke alarm, you have about three minutes to get out of your burning home. When you're faced with a wall of fire, you don't have the time or luxury of thinking about an alternate escape route for the first time.
That's why our State Fire Marshal (SFM) division urges everyone to map out their escape plan now, before the worst happens. Your plan should include multiple ways to get out of a home — whether it's through a window or a door — as well as each room.
Time is critical to your escape, no matter what causes the fire. Without a working smoke alarm, your chances of surviving a house fire are cut in half.
Learn more about how to make your fire escape plan on our SFM website.
|
