Rollover trainer turns up the HEAT on safety

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Security forces teams preparing to deploy from Moody are now being put through the "spin cycle" in the Air Force's only vehicle roll-over trainer.

The Humvee egress assistance trainer, or HEAT, realistically simulates a vehicle roll-over in a safe environment which will save lives in the deployed theatre, said Tech. Sgt. John DeLaCerda, the NCO in-charge of sensors and advanced technologies at the 820th Security Forces Group.

The $100,000 system uses a rebuilt M998 up-armored Humvee chassis mounted to a pivot on a raised platform, he said.

"A hydraulic motor rotates the entire vehicle and simulates a roll-over situation," said Sergeant DeLaCerda. "This allows the trainers to familiarize students with the critical 30-degree angle where one of these top-heavy up-armored vehicles will roll over."

If the Humvee rolls beyond 30-degrees, vehicle crews are trained to anticipate the impending roll and immediately pull the turret gunner into the vehicle and restrain him. By practicing this exercise in the HEAT, deploying teams realized the current turret sling system wasn't practical in a roll-over, said Sergeant DeLaCerda.

"Crews couldn't drop the gunner fast enough," he said. "The 820th SFG is in the process of installing a much safer turret-gunner seat strap. It has a quick release allowing other crew members to instantly drop the gunner into the cabin and out of harm's way.

We have also installed grab straps onto seat frames so crew members can secure themselves as the vehicle rolls, he continued. "These are changes we made only after practicing in the HEAT."

The roll-over procedure also reinforces a simple rule; secure your gear, said Sergeant DeLaCerda. In a roll-over, all of a crew's unsecured equipment can become dangerous projectiles, including the occupants. It's a lesson not soon forgotten.

"I will never forget my seatbelt again," he said. "As I hung upside down in the trainer, I realized that without it I would have probably broken my neck in the crash. Then I looked around and saw the ammunition cans right above my head. If either of those cans were unsecured, I would have been swallowing my teeth. I vowed to never forget to belt those in, as well."

Eventually, the 820th plans to equip the HEAT with every piece of equipment found in an operational vehicle. With radios, food supplies, water bottles, crew intercoms and ammunition boxes filling up all of its internal space, the experience will be much more realistic, said Sergeant Delecerda. As the vehicle stops rolling, the training is only halfway complete.

"As soon as the Humvee comes to rest, crews need to quickly assess the situation," said Sergeant DeLaCerda. "Was it a traffic accident or was the vehicle struck by an improvised explosive device? Are we on fire, or in a canal? Is anyone injured? Each answer determines where and how quickly the teams must exit the vehicle."

The average security forces Airman wears approximately 50 pounds of individual protective equipment and gear when deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, said Master Sgt Larry Symons, 823rd Security Forces Squadron operations NCO in-charge. When a vehicle overturns, you have only moments to find an egress route to safety.

"An average crew takes about a minute to exit the vehicle," said Sergeant Symons. "In the chaos of a roll-over this can be a very fast minute, but by practicing the procedures in the safety of the HEAT trainer, their actions can become second nature in a crisis."

In the two hours it takes to train a crew, the 820th SFG can prepare Airmen to survive one of the most dangerous situations they could encounter in an operational environment, said Sergeant DeLaCerda.

"So far, we have put approximately 450 Airmen through this training," he added. "If one life is saved, it has more than paid for itself."