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Show 11 Hilltop Times Aug. 3, 1995 For six days, a local S. W.A.T. team put HILL SPs through the paces during... by Jay Joersz Hilltop Times staff For nine members of the Air Force, Ogden seemed like it was under Satan's grip for one week in June. Seven members of the 75th Security Police Squadron and two from the 75th Civil Engineer Group completed a rigorous S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics) team training course, aptly dubbed "Hell Week," offered by the OgdenMetro S.W.A.T. ' team June 25-3The course got its name because of the unrelenting schedule participants must endure as 80 hours of training are crammed into six days, which only allows participants an average of two to three hours 0. of sleep per day. Course participants train constantly in classrooms as well as in field exercises simulating urban crisis situations. The result is a high stress, intense program that provides an increased performance of individual skills required for S.W.A.T. missions. The course teaches personnel skills such as tactical employweapons firing, diversion devices, tear-ga- s warrants (serving ment, vehicle assaults, high-risa warrant to someone who is potentially dangerous) and hostage rescue. The course is held annually and is open to members of police departments from all around the state and neighboring states as well. The Hill security policemen who took part in this year's training are part of the 75th SPS's Emergency Service Team. The EST members are trained to resolve high-rissituations such as hostage rescue, counterterrorist r actions, distinguished visitor protactics, tection, threatened suicide rescue and special event " Photos by Joy Joersz Explosive situation Above, a team of trainees, including Hill s A1C Jason D. Jones (second from left), simulate entry into a building where suspected criminals might be present. Left, after running a short distance uphill, A1C Thomas Versichelli (left) and Jones shoot a few rounds at simulated "bad guy" targets. Shooters were penalfor each missed shot. ized 10 push-up- s one exercise called "exBelow, during k k C :!fA ' - ,, plosive entry," course participants practiced blasting through a door during a anti-snipe- security operations. The two 75th Civil Engineer Group members are part of the group's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Division. They said they attended the training to get a better feel for what exactly is required of them when they are called out to help security police during an emergency situation. Both said it allowed them to look through the eyes of a security policeman during an emergency situation, which will help them understand why and when they need to do certain things during a crisis situation. For instance, one of the exercises during the week involved learning how to properly place an explosive charge on the hinges of a door to properly perform an "explosive entry" into a building during a hostage situation. "It gave us a much better idea of what they (SPS) are required to do," said SSgt. Roger E. Cannon, EOD quality assurance technician. "We would be able to help them a lot better because of this training." However, Cannon said that the course offered a little more than he expected. "1 thought it was going to be more about providing technical information, but there was a lot more physical work involved here than I had imagined from the course description." "The lack of sleep was definitely the hardest part of the course for me," said A1C George Lemson. of the 75th SPS. "It was a lot of hours, a lot of physical activity and with only two or three hours of sleep each night that's pushing it." One of the main goals of the course was to teach participants teamwork and discipline, especially weapons discipline. But what separated this training from most courses, was the fact that the trainees (about 40 in all) were not necessarily working side They had to learn by side with their teamwork while working with strangers. Lemson said he found out the importance of working as a team. "If everybody knows what to do and what everyone else is doing, you know what to expect," he said. "If one person is slacking or doesn't know their job well enough, the rest of the team will suffer." A military "basic training" atmosphere is mams. I simulated hostage situation. X 66 We know what we're capable of under extreme stress, and we know our strength lies in teamwork. V:?; If 99 11 2nd Lt. Marc Skinner 7$ffc SPS tmrgtwcY SrwK Team lodr tained throughout the course to help participants feel a high level of stress and urgency throughout each exercise. Instructors shouting at pupils and trainees getting a close-u- p view of the ground while were a common sight. doing push-up- s After a full day of training, the tired heads of the participants normally hit the pillows at about 2:30 a.m. only to be awakened from their brief slumber e run and around 5:45 a.m. for a daily calisthenics. "The training taught us a lot about ourselves," said 2nd Lt. Marc Skinner, 75th SPS Emergency Service Team leader. "We know what we're capable of under extreme stress, and we know our strength lies in teamwork. It helped build our confidence, and we know our team can meet any high-riscontingency head-on.- " One area the course worked on over and over was especially under handling and firing a weapon duress. Participants had their weapons with them just about everywhere they went during the training and each person fired hundreds of rounds of live ammunition in many simulated stressful situations. "My shooting improved about 40 percent," said A1C Terrence Hall, 75th SPS, who has been a member of the Air Force for nearly a year and a half. "They taught me a different stance and a different hand grip. Plus we shot a lot of rounds, which helped us all become much more familiar with weapons. I shot more in those six days than I've shot the whole five-mil- k time I've been in the Air Force." The shooting scenarios were all designed to give the trainees a sense of realism as they shot live rounds in many confined spaces. Instructors said it was to get them used to firing their own weapon as well as being around other people firing weapons. However, although live rounds were fired in tight spaces, safety was always the No. 1 priority. All personnel wore bullet-proo- f vests, and nobody fired until everyone around (instructors and students alike) knew it was going to happen at a precise moment. "I gained a lot of confidence from this course because we were pushed so hard, and yet we overcame everything thrown at us." Hall said. "I'm a much better police officer now because of this training. The more that you know, the safer you are as a policeman." Although at the end of a week straight out of Satan's lair such as this one, you would expect several people to nearly collapse from exhaustion that didn't happen. Everyone sat around with the new friends they had made and talked about the sense of accomplishment and pride they all felt. "I would do it again in a heartbeat," Lemson said. "I learned a lot of valuable skills and met a lot of new people. If you asked anyone on the team, they would say the same thing." Hall agreed wholeheartedly. "I'd go through it again." he said. "In fact, I'd like to do it again next year." |