New training aid prepares troops for Humvee rollover accidents

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Angel Martinez-Navedo | Staff Sgt. Terry T. Greenwell talks to a Soldier as he exits the Humvee Egress Assistant Trainer (HEAT). The HEAT helps Soldiers prepare for a rollover accident, a common cause of Soldier injuries after a roadside bomb explosion.  

CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, UNITED STATES

08.01.2007

Story by Spc. Angel Martinez-Navedo 

113th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Spc. Angel D. Martinez
113th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – An increased number of Soldiers are being killed or seriously injured during vehicle rollover incidents caused primarily by improvised explosive devices in Iraq or Afghanistan. So, the Department of Defense is now mandating that all service members deploying into combat operations train on the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer (HEAT).

HEAT is designed to recreate a rollover to meet the specific needs of troops, institutions and the operational environment.

Sgt. 1st Class Jason Taylor, non-commissioned officer in charge of the HEAT at Camp Atterbury, said this trainer will reinforce the importance of seat positioning, wearing seatbelts, the feeling of being disoriented, and the actual effort that is required to execute rollover and emergency egress procedures. This training, linked with other substantive training, may reduce or prevent rollover injuries and fatalities, Taylor said.

"The purpose of this training is to demonstrate the feeling of being disoriented, the actual effort that takes to exit the vehicle and help the Soldier to overcome the fear and panic of a rollover," Taylor said.

"I'm a trainer, and most of the training we do is simulated, but this is the closest you can get to the real world," said Staff Sgt. Terry T. Greenwell, HEAT trainee attached to 205th Infantry Brigade.

The HEAT has cameras that can let the instructors know if the Soldiers inside are performing rollover and exit procedures properly, Taylor said.

Also, each driver compartment will replicate the interior configuration of the vehicle.

Since every soldier that's being mobilized has to go through it, every mobilization station must have at least one HEAT training device.

"The HEAT device has been here since the end of May, and 800 Soldiers have been through it," said Taylor.

"It is a great tool, and every Soldier who goes trough it enjoys it."

"I would say that every unit deploying to Iraq, Kosovo or wherever should at least prepare for this," Greenwell said. "It's a very good training to have because you never know when you might need it."

• Date Taken: 08.01.2007
• Date Posted: 08.01.2007 14:52
• Story ID: 11576
• Location: CAMP ATTERBURY, IN, US