HUET/Water Survival Training

[cmaq]

HUET/Water Survival Training-- any recommendations for providers? Who does the best job for the least money? Is this training specifically required by regulation (kindly cite, if known)? Thanks!

[TxKingfisher]

Whoever you work for or plan to work for in the future will usually send you to their prefered school on their dime. I work at ECO and I had a hell of a time convincing them to put my HUET cert in my file at the company because it wasn't "their" class that I took.

Also if you have a choice, choose a school with a full METS (Modular Egress Training Simulator) instead of the ghetto dunk chair. Most of the HUET requirements are client driven (i.e. if your boat is chartered to shell they will dictate the training you have to have before you will be allowed to crewchange by helicopter). This makes it all pretty much pointless because when you show up to crewchange and you arent up to snuff on your training the dispatcher (or whoever) will grumble but send you out anyway. (Case in point, I have crewchanged 3 times working for BP on the spill and I still dont have a 6N1 card nor have I been fitted for a respirator. It's just a bunch of bullshit that looks good on paper.)

[Capt ETC]

I will reiterate what TxKingfisher says. If you have the choice do the full METS course instead of one with the SWET chair. Schools may list either as HUET so ask to make sure. I missed a day of work to take a HUET with only the SWET. The next day at the heliport I'm told that they were no longer [the client] accepting the SWET class. I'm stuck on shore and my relief is stuck on the boat. I had to go to another school and do one with the METS the next day. I wasn't able to get to the boat until the day after that. I came away with missed work, a lighter wallet and an ear full of water.

[TxKingfisher]

Thats when I tell the company man, "Fine, I'll go home...... you can explain it to my personel manager why I'm not on the boat and my relief is stuck offshore........" I'm sick of these bullshit classes that every company requires a different set. I'm on a self imposed "training strike". If the chopper company doesnt care about HUET then why should the client?