LONDON, Ohio -- Being able to survive in an emergency is very important for anyone but especially when you are an Airman who frequently flies foreign missions. One important aspect of knowing how to survive is training and for members from the 445th Airlift Wing, that includes Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape or SERE training.
Twenty-five 445th Airlift Wing pilots, loadmasters and medical crew joined with members from Niagara Falls and Pittsburgh Air Reserve Stations to receive combat survival skills training July 13 at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and July 14 at a nearby lake in London, Ohio, to complete their water survival skills training. Some of the training must be repeated annually, biannually or every three years.
The topics covered during combat skills training included map reading and learning what the pilots should do if they ever found their aircraft grounded unexpectedly.
“At the water survival skills training, the Airmen participated in harness drag training, which is a simulation of being drug through the water by a parachute. The equipment worn by the pilots includes a quick disconnect so that if you are in the water with a parachute and it begins to drag you, you can escape from it easily, explained Col. John Robinson, commander of the 445th Operations Group.
“Part of this is to inoculate them, get them in the water, be able to get them feeling better about being in the water, gain confidence in the equipment they have if they ever have to bail out or end up in the water,” said Robinson.
During the harness drag training, the participants were hooked to a jet ski and pulled several feet through the water on their backs while trying to disengage with the quick release rings on their harnesses.
Additionally, the Airmen received training on swimming techniques, quick donning of the anti-exposure dry suits and various activities with the 46-man life raft such as, water collection, sanitation, signaling techniques and general survival skills.
Besides the hands-on training, it is a great opportunity for the pilots to interact with members from the aircrew flight equipment shop who pack and prepare the equipment that is used and rarely get to interact with each other, said 1st Lt. Cecilia Photinos, a C-17A Globemaster III pilot from the 89th Airlift Squadron.
“It’s our job to maintain all of this equipment, we know how it functions,” said Senior Airman Devin Litton, aircrew flight equipment journeyman. “We work closely with SERE because they teach how to use the equipment that we prepare.”
As a former aircrew equipment technician, Photinos has firsthand experience from both career fields.
“It’s always best to be prepared in case anything happens,” said Photinos.