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air conditioning systems 191we2ngtoiteurt7 ifertham 4711748 rafemansfjip jfiiir 3iafitieh tribune community doug hackert 6405339 ja stoufrville aluminum siding windows specializing in replacement doors and windows serving whitchurchstouffville uxbridge and area a metroland community newspaper wednesday january 20 1988 drivers looking over shoulders safety director eagleeyed by bruce stapley if you see a simcoe school transit driver glancing over i hisher shoulder he or she is probably looking for kathy win terflood the stouffville woman direc tor of safety for the gormley- based bus line is constantly on the prowl making sure all drivers do things by the book theres nothing kathy wont do to guarantee the safety of her companys cargo we have an extremely high standard of safety she says proudly we take no shortcuts when it comes to childrens lives logical extension kathy admits to a lifelong fascination with everything on wheels her position with sim coe is a logical extension of this interest ive always loved vehicles anything that moves she smiles i had a gokart and a motorcycle when i was young kathy was a driver with travelways nine years this gave her ample opportunity to learn the rights and wrongs of the profession from there she went on to dispatch and payroll and then accepted the responsibilties of driver training you name it ive done it she says ive even helped in the garage kathy joined the simcoe firm to fill a position recently cre ated that of safety director growing rapidly the company was growing rapidly she recalls with safety being such a high priority with school boards and parents the position was established kathy points to simcoes driv- er training program with pride its one of the best we have signing authority with the ministry of transportation and communications our stan dards exceed even what the mtc demands however kathys not content to rest on her laurels you can never let down your defenses she insists this is not just weedless iesday cks c3 kathy winterflood safety director for simcoe coach lines takes her job seriously shes constantly monitoring performance by school bus drivers to make sure theyre following all the safety rules bruce stapley another job theres no room for error in support of this fact kathys on the job from seven in the morning to sometimes six oclock at night ensuring that each driver takes hisher job as seriously as she takes hers on occasions she checks up on some of her drivers even be fore she leaves her house a few live just across the road from me she explains i can see them doing their circle checks from my window first responsibility a circle check is a drivers first responsibility before set ting out on the route he or she makes sure all lights and sig nals are working properly kathy spends threequarters of her time each day on the road she checks various routes as well as pickup and delivery spots shell keep an eye on driv ers to make sure theyre follow ing all the rules with 350 bus operators span ning an area that includes gormley sutton and columbus kathy has miles of ground to cover but she does it so effi ciently and so regularly drivers tell her they always assume shes right behind them she stops them its an insentive to do every thing by the book she claims on occasions shell borrow someone elses car so she wont be recognized what happens if she catches someone in the act of a faux paus if its a safety matter ill stop them however if its something minor ill just invite them in for a coffee then do a followup a month later just to make sure theyre on track often operators express appreciation of having small flaws detected sometimes mis takes of which theyre not aware the company is con tinually emphasizing upgrading of driver skills our drivers attend winter training classes and take defen sive driving courses she says kathy takes great pride in pointing to company records that show not a single major accident since shes taken charge of the safety program she gives credit where credit is due we hold a safety banquet ev ery year for our drivers she explains those who qualify re ceive driver award pins cover ing a 12month period oper ators share this pride they work hard for their awards she says kathys greatest concern re lates to automobile drivers and their attitude towards school buses housewife and proud of it c4 c5 r i i- coiiimiiriii iiendf ell bruce stapley c8 ewflgkwiflbmj perhaps everyone should drive a school bus for a month she states theyd be more aware of the responsibilites in volved kathys role changes very lit tle during the summer vacation months simcoe provides 130 buses for summer schools and camps this arrangement is ideal for drivers with children they can work when their kids are in school and take time off during holidays concerned about attitude kathy says several drivers are parents of preschoolers this is great she explains they can strap the infant into the seat right behind them this serves as an insentive to drive carefully she notes no cargo could be more important than ones own child when simcoes supersnooper decides she needs a break she calls on one of several trainees to spell her off as for her reputation as a hungry hound on the scent of a defenseless rabbit kathy says thats not the way it is at all its not my desire to embar rass anyone she insists i only want to catch minor mis takes before they develop into major accidents