Emergency Breathing Systems Training

The RHO Aviation EBS course will give you the skills you need to be confident in using your Emergency Breathing System, whatever brand it is. The EBS course will teach you the dangers of breathing compressed air and how to safely avoid these dangers, how to locate and operate the device underwater with no or limited visibility… and then after all that, escape the aircraft!

Vocational Outcomes

Personnel that are involved in a ditching face a multitude of hazards. The chance of a crewmember or passenger evacuating a ditched aircraft safely, and ultimately surviving, is determined by the level and quality of training they have received. Once the student has undertaken this training, the chances of successfully evacuating the helicopter and subsequent survival in the water are significantly increased.

Topics Covered

The following Elements and Performance Criteria are covered on the course:

• Prepare an EBS for use:
  • EBS pre-flight inspection is conducted
  • Preparations for flight are completed
  • EBS defects reported.
• Operate an EBS:
  • EBS if fitted in accordance with equipment instructions
  • EBS purging techniques are employed
  • Breathing techniques are employed during ascent
  • EBS malfunctions are responded to.
• Complete EBS post-operational procedures:
  • EBS after-use inspection is conducted
  • EBS after-flight defects are reported
  • EBS equipment is stowed in appropriate storage.

Assessment:

• Theory: Your knowledge of the theory component will be assessed via an online theory component and questionnaire. On successful completion you will proceed on to the practical training and assessment.
• Practical Training: Trainees will be given instruction in conducting pre & post-flight EBS inspections, introduction to breathing compressed air, EBS clearing techniques, EBS malfunctions and integrating the EBS into your underwater escape procedures for a variety of ditching situations, these include:
  • Inverted ditching
  • Night time or low visibility simulation is the key to escape
  • Exits – operation or exit obstruction industry leader
  • Cross cabin/Secondary exit evacuation

If you are already equipped with EBS or are thinking of acquiring the equipment and you would like to try out the various systems on offer, then our training will give you the confidence and knowledge you need to use the systems safely. It will also allow you to make an informed decision before you buy. Our EBS course can be undertaken as a standalone course or concurrently with an AUES/HUET course. (Please note: If you choose to undertake a standalone EBS course, you must be familiar with AUES/HUET procedures i.e. you must have completed a AUES/HUET course at some time in the past).

RHO Aviation utilises various emergency breathing systems (which are used by the ADF, US Navy, US Marine Corps and US Coast Guard). Our systems are an excellent life saving device and are considered the first choice by many aviation operators. The benefit of our EBS is the lower volume of water to clear and the general ease of use. Also, the mouthpiece is easier to use and less restrictive.

“Train on our equipment to master the skills and provide you with the knowledge you need to go shopping for your own systems.”

Our EBS bottles and EBS holster integrate well with the Switlik or similar crew vest, allowing for a comfortable easily accessible fit. Talk to RHO Aviation about your EBS solutions. We can recommend systems and deliver training packages which will integrate in to your organisation seamlessly.

The RHO Aviation EBS course uses the specially engineered HeliPET or 4PET procedural trainer for the practical exercises. The HeliPET allows all axes impact scenarios, dual person configuration and cross-cockpit/cross-cabin drills as well as push out exits and hatches with jettison handles. The RHO Aviation procedural trainers are well suited to EBS training allowing excellent instructional functionality.

The US Coast Guard and US Navy prefer not to use large HUET simulators for their initial EBS training, preferring a disorientation device used in a controlled environment to simulate the ditching.  The RHO designed simulators builds upon and enhances the benefits of this type of training. When RHO Aviation looked at supplying Helicopter Underwater Escape Training to the aviation and associated industries, we looked at various systems and found the HeliPet and 4PET to be the most effective.