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SERE instructors teach aircrew proper procedures

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sean M. Crowe
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape instructors refreshed 13 aircrew members stationed here on proper in-water survival and emergency procedures August 8, 2013, at Long Beach Island, N.J.

The aircrew members attend a refresher course every three years after their initial SERE training to keep them current.

Aircrew members may experience isolation scenarios in any environment an aircraft may crash in, whether it's the tundra, a forest or open water. A member can lose his or her wits if they do not do as their SERE instructors taught them.

Staff Sgts. Dylan Wagner and Josh Schmitz, 305th Operations Support Squadron SERE specialists, put aircrew members through their water survival course three times every month.

"It's always possible for an isolation incident to occur for flyers," said Wagner. "We want the members to be prepared if something does happen."

The course at LBI familiarized the students with the KC-10 Extender and the C-17 Globemaster III life rafts for a water isolation incident.

SERE specialists brief students at the 305th Air Mobility Wing Headquarters, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on the course plan for the day before setting out to LBI. Students also learn about various things to watch out for throughout the day such as weather, sand chiggers and other dangers.

The students then put on their wetsuits, water boots and life preservers upon arrival to LBI before an instructor tows them to the raft via personal watercraft.

The instructors review the on-board survival kit contents and how to survive if stranded on the raft for the students' benefit once on the raft. The instructors remind them which animals make good sustenance and how to attain drinkable water.

Schmitz informed the students that seagulls are trash-eating birds and make terrible food, tunas make excellent food but are difficult to handle due to their size and open containers are an excellent way to collect drinkable rainwater.

The instructors then plunge the students into an emergency scenario circling the raft they are on with personal watercraft to simulate harsh waters. Students must set up the raft's built-in canopy with only 60 seconds to prevent the raft from sinking.

All attending members must participate in the KC-10 raft training regardless of the aircraft they fly on to keep the class together. C-17 aircrew members then separate and become familiarized with the rafts equipped on a C-17. The C-17 aircrew members must familiarize themselves with their rafts because the rafts are for individuals instead of a large group.

"The instructors had a lot of useful information," said Capt. Ryan Burns, 305th AMW flight safety officer. "They told us the Air Force replaced the water-desalinization pumps with desalinization pills. It might not be something shocking but it's needed information."

Students then swim to shore once they are completely familiarized with raft techniques, which completes the survival portion of the day's training.

The next exercise familiarizes the students with rescue helicopter hoisting procedures.

A Coast Guard rescue helicopter drops its rescue swimmer in the water to drag aircrew members into the rescue basket. The aircrew members are towed with Jet Skis to the open water and dropped off. The rescue swimmer drags the member to the basket, places them in and signals to the basket operator to raise the basket to the helicopter.

Rescue swimmers participate to train on their real-world capabilities to rescue people in peril while simultaneously familiarizing the SERE students with rescue procedures.

The instructors and participants attempt to make the training as lighthearted as possible despite the seriousness of the subject matter that is taught.

"The Coast Guard's flight engineer gives our members cookies when the basket reaches the helicopter," said Schmitz. "We never suggested the idea. They just started doing it one day as a way to make the experience a little more interesting."

The day is complete after the helicopter hoisting. Students are more aware of survival methods than when the day began.

"It's easy to forget what they teach you in initial training when there is a mission to worry about," said Burns.

Aircrew members must stay current as the chance to become isolated challenges aircrew members every time they fly.

"The training aspects have not changed since I began instructing here," said Wagner. "We only change equipment and procedures to better the training."

The SERE instructors agreed that they have enjoyable jobs.

"A huge perk of our training is that it's concise and amusing," said Wagner. "The students always seem grateful for our training methods and enjoy the class overall from what I see on their feedback sheets."