Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.

That was the mindset of many volunteer fire departments throughout the county as they practiced worst-case scenarios during bus extraction training exercises recently.

Crews from Coal Grove, Upper, Elizabeth and Aid township volunteer fire departments spent a Saturday afternoon sawing opening a school bus at the Rock Hill High School parking lot. While there were no students actually trapped inside, the training was to prepare them for what could happen in the event of a real bus accident.

When it comes to life and death, time is always the most important factor. Emergency crews must be prepared to handle entrapment situations before such a need arises. Nothing would be worse than a crew of untrained and unprepared rescuers trying to figure out lifesaving tactics while the clock is really ticking.

We commend the Rock Hill school district and these fire departments for taking the lead and organizing training exercises like this.

When it comes to children’s lives, there is no such thing as being over-prepared.