School bus drivers train in Idaho Falls

School was in session Wednesday for school bus drivers in Bonneville District 93.

The annual training is a refresher course for returning drivers, and this year includes eight new drivers.

Besides hitting the books, drivers crawl all over their own buses to learn safety standards. The final exam of the day is walking through a bus filled with smoke.

The Idaho Falls Fire Department led the special training to show just how hard it is to breathe and see in a fire.

Safety is top priority for the kids these drivers see every day.

“They love them, they have quite a good rapport with them, they are the first people that the children see when they leave home in the morning, so it’s up to the driver to set the mood for a lot of our children,” said Dave Brown, school bus driver trainer.

The 102 school bus drivers in the district will hit the road Sept. 3.