WARRIOR BASE, South Korea - Soldiers from 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery conducted vehicle roll-over training utilizing the state-of-art HMMWV Egress Assistance Trainer during the second week of June here.
HEAT is designed to assist Soldiers in learning how to escape from a rolled-over vehicle.
A maximum of five Soldiers are allowed inside the trainer at one time. To create maximum realism, each passenger must hold a rubber M16A2 as their weapon while wearing their helmets, body armor and gloves for the duration of the training.
The Soldiers occupied one of the following seats: driver’s seat, passenger seat, gunner or rear passenger seats. Before the Soldiers get to experience what a rollover would feel like, they must attend a class on safety tips and understand the reasons to why a rollover occurs and what to do if they were ever to find themselves in that situation.
As the first five Soldiers got prepared and received their gear, some had a look of uncertainty on their faces.
The instructors had cameras inside of the HMMWV and turned on the monitors outside of the trainer so the observers could see the participant’s reaction.
The instructors first explained to the participants inside the HEAT that they were going to experience 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees and finally a complete turn over. They must then get out of the vehicle as fast and safe as possible.
Sgt. Justin Rogers of Fox Company, 6-52nd Air Defense Artillery Battalion, who participated in the training said, “It [HEAT] is a good experience for all Soldiers to go through because this could happen not only in combat but also during every day missions, and you can never be too prepared.”
He continued “Soldiers, including the gunner, must be properly trained to open safety restraints and learn how to exit the vehicle through doors in a variety of rotated positions.”
HEAT allows Soldiers to learn not to get disoriented, ensures that their equipment is secure and gives them the opportunity to practice unlocking their seat belts and doors while being completely upside down.
HEAT has been credited with saving dozens of Soldiers' lives. The Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center HEAT trainer has become the U.S. Army standard for egress training and has been made part of required training for all Soldiers.
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