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HEAT simulates Humvee rollover

By Sgt. Rachel Brune
June 28, 2006

LSA DIAMONDBACK, Iraq (Army News Service, June 28, 2006) –Soldiers of the 142nd Corps Support Battalion no longer have to survive a deadly situation to describe what it’s like to roll over in an uparmored Humvee.

With the unveiling of the first and only Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer, or HEAT, in Iraq June 14, the Soldiers now have a new tool to combat Humvee rollovers, which claimed 13 lives in 2006 alone.

“We want to make sure that we have no more memorial services and no more trips to the hospital,” said Lt. Col. Ronald Green, battalion commander.

The HEAT is an M1114 that is rotated on an axle to simulate a rollover. It is self-contained, self-powered and portable.

“When you’re upside down, you’re disoriented. Just figuring out how to open the door can be complicated,” said Capt. James George, company commander, 473rd Quartermaster Company. “It’s a great device – it’s going to help save lives.”

During the unveiling ceremony, subordinate unit commanders and first sergeants donned body armor and kevlars to experience the simulator. The operator first rocked the chassis to a 25 degree angle – the angle at which an uparmored Humvee will tip over – then spun it the opposite direction to simulate a rollover. Occupants then had to exit the upside-down vehicle.

“It’s a great trainer to assist Soldiers to know at what angle they’re going to roll over [and] how to exit,” said 1st Sgt. Perry Williamson, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment.

The first HEAT in Iraq is the Army’s fourth, according to James F. Jennings, safety officer for the 101st Sustainment Brigade.

A team of Soldiers from the 872nd and 298th Maintenance Companies built the machine, working from blueprints released by Coalition Forces Land Component Command at a safety conference March 20.

The construction team added several innovations to the original design, including a safety cage around the turret to enable gunners to practice slipping into the interior of the Humvee.

Rather than use commercially-fabricated parts, the team acquired components from the Army’s supply system.

The HEAT drive motor is the same motor used to power the turret on a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, for example, and the turret gear is from an Avenger drive assembly.

“This is a triumph of ingenuity and innovation,” said Jennings, who attributed much of the innovation and efficiency to the additional skills Soldiers brought to the project.

Construction took about seven weeks and $10,000.

(Editor’s note: Sgt. Rachel Brune writes for the 101st Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office.)