2015 National Training Seminar Recap

COMPANY UPDATESDecember 15, 2015

This past fall, Q’Straint & Sure-lok hosted our 2015 National Training Seminars at the Embassy Suites in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The School Bus session was held on October 15th and 16th, followed by the Paratransit session on October 20th and 21st.

The industry laude course has always featured two days of intense training on the regulations, equipment, and securement practices necessary to ensure wheelchair passenger safety as well as a tour of the nearby Q’Straint headquarters. Two years ago the course was overhauled to also include sections on liability, specification writing, equipment maintenance and most significantly, a heavy focus on securing difficult mobility devices.

Working with Fort Lauderdale based wheelchair supplier TD Mobility, who provided the mobility devices for the event, ensured that attendees were forced to problem solve on a wide range of power chairs, many of which had no easy means of securement and mirror those difficult situations that often flummox transportation providers.

“Our goal was to provide the same detail and knowledge that the NTS has always provided on the first day of training, and then challenge the attendees to apply that knowledge to the some of the most difficult mobility devices they’ll encounter on day two,” said Chris Yarber, Southeast Regional Manager and Co-Trainer for the seminar.

Despite the large volume of material covered, the attendees did manage to squeeze in some fun highlighted by a group dinner hosted by the Girardin family and Bob Joseph in which “the steak and wine were great,” said Darren Reaume, Co-trainer, of the trendy Pier 66 meal. The School Bus dinner featured a moving company tribute to John Goss, longtime QSL employee and founder of the National Training Seminar, who has a special connection to the school bus community having served as a transportation direction before joining the company during his retirement.

In 2016 the National Training will be taking place in October. The registration website will be opened in early 2016, be on the lookout so that you can participate in this truly exceptional and educational seminar.