FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. -- During a major training exercise here, Reserve Component Soldiers of Division West's 189th Infantry Brigade learned what to do in case of a Humvee rollover during training in a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle Egress Assistance Trainer.
HEAT training teaches Soldiers how to safely egress from a Humvee in emergency situations by gaining orientation, identifying the easiest and quickest escape routes, then exiting the vehicle. The individuals operating the HEAT can rotate and stop it in various positions to simulate a rolled-over vehicle.
Going through HEAT training is not only potentially lifesaving, it was fun, said 1st Lt. Ryan Agustin, a Soldier with the 409th Engineer Company (Vertical) from Ft. Collins, Colo., who is attached to 2nd Infantry Battalion, 357th Regiment.
"It was my first experience going through that training," Agustin said. "It's realistic; you never know if you will go down a really steep cliff or hill. Being able to undo yourself in the cab and learning how to get out, whether it's through the gunner's chute or through your doors (is important to know) … it's really good training."
HEAT training involves four battle drills. First, to demonstrate what the tipping point of a Humvee feels like, the trainer is tilted 30 degrees to the left, then 30 degrees to the right. Second, to give the occupants confidence in the safety belts, the trainer is rotated a full 360 degrees. Third, to simulate a water egress, the trainer is tipped 90 degrees on one side, and the occupants must egress through the gunner's hatch. Once everyone is out, the trainer is brought right side up, and the Soldiers get back in. For the fourth and final battle drill, the trainer is tipped upside down, and the occupants must egress from any safely accessible door.
"I thought it was good training, good exposure," said Chap. (Lt. Col) James Brown, 189th Infantry Brigade. "It reinforced in me the importance of wearing a seat belt. (The training) was very realistic."
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Fort Hunter Liggett is the largest installation in the Army Reserve, with more than 160,000 acres of mountains, valleys, rivers, plains and forests. It provides ideal maneuver areas and state of the art training facilities.
The 91st Training Division, headquartered at Fort Hunter Liggett, trains and assesses Army Reserve units, and supports training for joint, combined and active Army forces. Thousands of Soldiers and dozens of units from around the country are participating in the April Combat Support Training Exercise, which provides realistic training for military maneuvers and tactics such as base security, convoy operations and battle reaction drills during simulated enemy attacks. The exercise provides realistic training to units to successfully meet the challenges of an extended and integrated battlefield.
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