NPAS gains egress training device
Helicopter crews of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) of England and Wales now have a brand new emergency egress training device.
Helicopter crews of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) of England and Wales now have a brand new training device to put them through their paces. The Emergency Exit Jettison (EEJ) training rig was delivered to the NPAS base in Wakefield, on 5 September. It simulates the emergency exits of the three aircraft types that currently make up the NPAS fleet, allowing staff to physically operate the emergency exits of these helicopters.
Head of compliance and safety for NPAS Dave Taylor said: “Safety is the number one priority for the service. This piece of kit helps us to further enhance our training and safety procedures and in buying this [device], NPAS has made a clear commitment to promote the highest standards of flight safety and world-class training to staff.” He explained that the modular design of the unit means that it is ‘future proof against any other types of aircraft’ that might be added to the NPAS fleet. It can also be set up and operated by a single trainer.
Taylor continued: “Before, safety training like this was carried out using real aircraft, meaning issues of damage, loss of availability of the aircraft when being used for training, and staff time to operate it.”
The portable rig will be taken to every NPAS base over the next year as a part of a rolling training programme so that staff can carry out mandatory safety training.