TY - JOUR PY - 2009// TI - The effect of emergency breathing systems during helicopter underwater escape training for land force troops JO - Safety science A1 - Taber, Michael John A1 - McCabe, John SP - 1129 EP - 1138 VL - 47 IS - 8 N2 - A functional task analysis was carried out for 12 troops during helicopter underwater escape training (HUET) to identify performance difficulties while egressing from a submerged and capsized helicopter simulator. Troops and qualified HUET instructors rated performance during 22 trials of specific skill sets known to aid personnel in the event of a helicopter ditching into water. Results indicate that troops took considerably longer to egress through a forward exit and experienced fewer difficulties when using an emergency breathing system (EBS). Results further indicated that without an EBS, only 58% of the troops successfully escaped whereas 100% escaped unaided when using an EBS. To maximize survival rates in the event of a ditching, it can be concluded that all troops should be issued and trained to use an EBS.

LA - en SN - 0925-7535 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2008.12.002 ID - ref1 ER -