When the weather is bad or there's heavy traffic it makes for a difficult drive, but those conditions are much more treacherous if you're driving an ambulance or bus.

Now some first responders and bus drivers in our region are getting better prepared to handle all the challenges of the road and the training is all done off-road virtually, like a video game. This tool could be a lifesaver because for first responders, time is critical.

“Our main goal of an ambulance service is to get the patient safely and medically treated from point A to point B,” Kanawha County Ambulance Authority Mike Jarrett said.

Paramedic Mike Jarrett says the weather can get in the way. In Cabell County in August, deputies say rain may have been a factor in this ambulance crash.

Optimal driving conditions is seventy degrees and clear and sunny, but that's not when ambulance calls are run,” Mike Jarrett Kanawha County ambulance authority said.

Now Kanawha County emergency workers are preparing for the worst on the road with a driving simulator. The driving simulator has it all including rain, snow and heavy traffic. Thurman Williams a Kanawha County paramedic tried it out.

“It was fantastic. It is very realistic more so than I ever expected,” Kanawha County ambulance authority Thurman Williams, said.

It’s a new driving tool, not just for paramedics, but also for KRT bus drivers and Kanawha County sheriff's deputies.

“Over sixty percent of officers killed in the line of duty each year are killed in traffic accidents. I think that's why it is some important we work hard on helping our officers,” Sheriff Mike Rutherford said.

It’s a virtual tool giving emergency workers the skills they need to respond to real emergencies. The driving simulator cost about a $100,000.

KRT, the sheriff's department, the ambulance authority and the county all split the cost.