First a jump into the water from a speeding motorboat, then from the Mi-17 chopper suspended a fewer meters above the water. This training over a 100 soldiers of the 12th Wielkopolska Territorial Defence Brigade. During the rotation training, the territorialists, among others, improved their skills in water rescue and providing assistance to victims of traffic accidents.
The organizer of the “Earth–Air” exercise was the 12th Wielkopolska Territorial Defence Brigade, namely the 124th Light Infantry Battalion in Śrem. The two-day training was attended by nearly 1 100 Wielkopolska territories and soldiers from 33 Transport Aviation Base, the Air peculiar Operations Unit (PJOS), as well as the Gniezno police, fire and water fire brigades Volunteer Rescue.
– Home defence Act imposes a work on soldiers of territorial defence troops to act in crisis situations. so We effort to train our soldiers in different conditions and cooperate with various types of services – says Lieutenant Anna Jasińska-Pawlikowska, press officer 12 BOT. “This enables us to exchange experiences and learn the techniques and procedures utilized by another services. This is an excellent chance to get fresh skills – he adds.
For the first time in their training, the territorialists invited PJOS, a unit that supports the activities of peculiar military operators on a regular basis. – For 3 years we have trained soldiers to operate in the water. Now we wanted to rise the bar. The landing from a chopper into the water is simply a large challenge, admits Lieutenant Kacper Dudziuk, commander of 1st Light Infantry Company.
Film: 12WBOT
But before exercising, they had to prepare for the lake. Lieutenant Dudziuk explains that they first took the swim test under the WOPR lifeguards. They jumped out of a floating motorboat, then were tasked with beating 25 m to shore. The Territorials besides received training aboard the Mi-17 helicopter. They learned the procedures in force during the flight, and besides learned to leave the device erstwhile it remains on the ground or is in suspension. – A test jump, on the Lednicki Fields, soldiers performed, jumping through the helicopter's side door. At that time, it kept about a metre above the ground. Only then did we go to the lake – describes Lt. Dudziuk.
The military made a jump to Lake Lednica from a fewer meters high. It was a tremendous experience. The power of the Mi-17 rotor is powerful. The wind was very quick, the breeze was formed, and the waves appeared on the water – the company commander reported. “Every soldier was wearing a life jacket, and their safety was kept under WOPR all the time,” added the officer. The territorials do not cover that training, although very interesting, was a challenge for them. For many of us, jumping into the water was a fight against our weaknesses. It's quite a few adrenaline and emotion, but I'm glad that I dared and I got to shore on my own", says the general. Catherine of 1 klp.
The water landing is not all. During the rotation training, the territorialists besides worked with the police. They trained techniques of intervention and combating the crowd, which is useful for them while serving on the Polish-Belarusian border. WOT soldiers besides learned to aid victims in transport accidents. For example, firemen from Gniezno instructed them to usage hydraulic tools to cut vehicles and to draw victims from them.
– The last part of the exercise was water rescue. Soldiers under the supervision of WOPR instructors have refreshed their cognition of the method of taking a drowning individual from water and the principles of first aid. These skills will not only be useful to them in the ministry, but besides to them all day," emphasises Lt. Jasińska-Pawlikowska.
