HUMVEE EGRESS TRAINING INCREASES SURVIVAL IN COMBAT

Published May 4, 2008
By Tech. Sgt. Sabrina Foster
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron are receiving Humvee egress assistance training to increase their survival in combat. More than 260 Airmen were trained recently over a four-day period.

"The purpose of the training is to teach combat Airmen the proper procedures to egress from an inverted Humvee," said Tech. Sgt. Thomas Williamson, 379th ESFS noncommissioned officer in charge of training.

Conducting this training is necessary for combat Airmen to achieve self-control and overcome natural fear and panic following the catastrophic event which led to the vehicle being inverted, he said.

"This is probably one of the most realistic training scenarios that we can go through," Williamson said. "This simulator is the closest thing to a real rollover that we will experience."

According to a study reported by Defense Helicopter magazine in September 2000, "A person who is 'egress trained' stands a 250 percent greater chance of survival than an untrained occupant when faced with an egress emergency."

"The Army has been training their Soldiers in Humvee egress for quite some time," said Kyle Torres, 379th ESFS training manager. "So we coordinated with the local Army support group, and they let us use their equipment to train our personnel."

The training comprises two sessions. First, there's a classroom lecture, which covers Humvee characteristics, as well as rollover drills, rollover egress and water egress in the event that Airmen find themselves submerged under water in the Humvee. Next, there's hands-on rollover training in a Humvee simulator, where trainees practice to quickly and safely egress and recover the vehicle.

For the hands-on training, the trainees don their body armor, safety goggles, gloves and helmet for a ride in the simulator.

"The simulator is a real Humvee that had been sent to the defense reutilization and marketing office," Torres said. "The front and rear of it have been removed, and the body of the Humvee sits on a framework to hold it in place. An electric motor and gear box restraint, motor and transmission were installed, which allows the Humvee to invert 180 or 360 degrees. Everything inside was left the same way."

Overall the training has been a success and a learning experience for all.

"It was different," said Tech. Sgt. Gary Stansberry, deployed from Dover Air Force Base, Del. "It's very easy to get disoriented when you're upside down. Even though it was my first experience, I don't think I would have any problems getting out or directing my people to get out."

Although the training was only a test, it will become a valuable tool in the time of combat.

"With the ever-changing role of security forces in today's Air Force, this training provides survivability of our defenders in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world," Torres said.