Helicopter crews in deep water

CFS’ Aviation Operations team members recently found themselves in deep water, all in the name of preparing for the worst.

Air Attack Supervisors and Air Observers undertook Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre to prepare for the worst-case scenario of exiting a ditched helicopter.

During the session, up to four blindfolded team members were tipped underwater in a training prop that simulates a helicopter cockpit.

Mick Mathew, State Aviation Operations Officer said the training allows staff to fly in helicopters as Task Specialists, rather than just as passengers and gives them the skills and ability to prepare for emergency ditching into water, to safely exit the cockpit and maximise survival in the water until they are rescued.

“Before the session the crew complete online training to understand the procedures they need to follow in the event of an aircraft ditching,” Mr Mathew said.

“The procedures they then put into practice are all about orientating themselves within the cockpit, finding the nearest exit, releasing the harness and safely finding their way to the surface.

“In a deeper water body, they deploy their life jackets once they are clear of the aircraft and come up to the surface.”

Even in this controlled environment, Mr Mathew said there were still nerves aplenty as the personnel prepared for multiple dunkings.

“Everyone dreads having to do this but it’s a necessary part of the role to make sure they are safe while protecting the community,” he said.

To meet Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulations, staff undertake the training every three years and is for any personnel who may fly over water bodies as part of their CFS duties – this can include the ocean as well as rivers, lakes, dams and even reservoirs.

Participants also receive training in surviving at sea and utilising the life jacket that is mandatory to wear whenever flying over a water body.

“The team learned how to stay warm, huddle, keep each other supported, look for any injuries and attend to any first aid possible,” Mr Mathew said.

“Then they moved into positions that help preserve heat, as individuals and as a group, and from there they progressed to managing/boarding a life raft and utilising the survival equipment aboard that life raft.”

Having completed the training, the team members receive a national unit of competency but also gain confidence that they can take the correct actions should the worst occur.

The CFS has a fleet of aircraft, with helicopters an integral part of a modern firefighting response, providing greater support to ground crews in difficult-to-access terrain and reducing the ferocity of fast-moving fires.

Aircrews can livestream aerial intelligence, provide real-time observations of the fire ground to assist with the creation of warnings, fire predictions and strategic and tactical decision-making.