ES Training Overview
The ALWG Emergency Services training program is a four part program consisting of concentrated training in Aircrew/Ground Team Qualification & Recurreny exercises, Primary Ground Team training, Primary Mission Base Staff Training, and wing wide long duration/large area of operations exercises. These four components allow training to be conducted that is especially suited to specific training objectives. Instead of attempting to conduct initial training, initial qualification, recurrency, and requalification for every specialty all in one event, this approach allows the opportunity to tailor the training to the objectives to be met. In the end, this produces a higher quality product which in turn raises and enhances the Alabama Wing's ability to successfully execute SAR, DR, and other types of operational missions.
- Local Aircrew & Ground Team Training Exercises - The primary purpose of these exercises is to afford opportunities for initial qualification and recurrency training in the aircrew and ground team ES specialties. These exercises also provide some opportunities for lower tier mission base staff training such as radio operators, staff assistants, and branch directors. Two of these exercises are held each year in each part of the wing (north, central, & south). These exercises are coordinated by each respective area's ES Training Coordinator(s) to ensure a good experience for all involved. The training paradigm behind these exercise is as follows:
- Training will be conducted on multiple, pre-planned scenarios. Instead of having one scenario around which the entire mission revolves (i.e. we're looking for missing aircraft flying from X to Y, etc), there will be multiple scenarios all of which can be executed simultaneously. Each scenario tasking is preplanned so that aircrews can be tasked immediately at the start of the mission instead of having to wait on a planning section to decide what is to be done.
- To ensure members remain proficient with the various types of flight profiles they might be called upon to perform, taskings should include at least the following: a point based search (expanding square and/or sector search), a parallel line search, a creeping line search, a route-segment search, and an electronic search.
- A key part of this training paradigm is to include some kind of objective with every scenario. When an aircrew is dispatched on a search and they know there is nothing for them to find, training suffers. By placing some kind of search objective in each tasking's search area, be it a simulated crashed airplane, signal panel, dummy, or blue tarp, the crew will be actively trying to find their target instead of simply flying back and forth in the sky.
- The final key part is to issue all crews a sealed "cheat sheet" to be opened only to either confirm the target location or if the aircrew is out of time and must RTB but was unable to find their search objective. This allows the crew to find the target and allows them to see exactly what they were looking for which they might have spotted but not realized what it was.
- Wing Emergency Services School - The ALWG WESS is a 6 weekend training program that runs from October through April of every year that consists of in-depth training in the ground team specialties. The WESS has 4 tracks: a basic track, advanced track, ground team leader track, and support/ICS track. All training is task based compliant with the Ground Team task guide as published by NHQ. Much more information is available on the WESS Website.
- Incident Command Staff School - The ALWG ICSS is a 2 day course which concentrates on the initial and recurrency training and requalification of mission base staff personnel. The school is offered twice a year and consists of three components.
- The first component is classroom training in broad subject areas in which all incident command post staff should be familiar. Areas such as legal concerns for SAR operators and properly implementing critical incident stress procedures are covered.
- The second component breaks the trainees out into three tracks: Operations, Comm/Admin, and Advanced. In addition to classroom instruction, this component also includes practical hands-on exercises and position specific training to familiarize the trainees with exactly how to execute specific positions. Topics covered n the operations track include using WMIRS and the art of briefing & debriefing. The Comm/Admin track goes over the skills and knowledge necessary to work within the communications unit of an ICP and support the mission in an administrative role. The Advanced track is for those seeking advanced ratings such as Planning and Operations Section Chief and Incident Commander. Search planning and working with the FAA & AFRCC are exacmples of topics covered in this track.
- The third and final component of the ICSS is an elaborate tabletop exercise that brings all of the trainees together to work two operational periods of a simulated mission. Outside participants are brought in to act as aircrews and ground teams and to
- Wide Area SAR/DR Exercises - The Wide Area SAREX is an exercise that takes place over the course of at least a 3 day weekend involving assets from all squadrons in all parts of the wing. The scenario for these exercises is one that requires operations to be conducted wing wide such as a large scale weather event or large area search. Aircrews and
- ALWG Mission Aircrew School (coming in FY12) -