There certainly is much more scope for more realistic training for offshore workers but good luck trying to get their fat arses out and into a realistic environment.
Dear Sir
I hate to burst your bubble, but the offshore oil and gas industry is not a military regime, it's a business, and in such the oil companies and relevant authorities decide who is fit for work, not you. For your information all offshore workers have to pass a CAPP medical every 3 years, and shorter intervals the older you get e.g. 40+ is every 2 years, including a EKG. The BST-R survival refresher is not a simple walk in the park either, trust me I've done enough of them. You don't pass the course you don't go offshore, period.
Survival training is always a compromise of what is safe to do whilst emulating actual typical scenarios e.g. current limits on immersion depth when performing HUEBA training to prevent potential injury to lungs. I'm sure that what we currently do will be reviewed and revised by suitably competent organisations post-491. Continuous improvement is key in all aspects of helo operations.
How realistic do you wish things to be? Do you actually think that a more rigorous training regime such as cold-water immersion in a leaking suit every 3 years would prepare anybody for a 20G crash? We already jump off a perfectly good boat every 3 years and know what the feeling of the Grand banks sea on your face is like, but in an immersion suit that generally doesn't leak, and from a controlled escape route.
Robert Decker has made some excellent statements, especially the one regarding the helo should stay in the air, everything else is secondary.
So give us controlled landings in the drink as a last resort (SS6 for S-92 plus enough run-dry time to allow a soft and upright landing), suits that keep us dry, therefore a better chance of escaping a capsized/submerged helo (HUEBA now gives us that at least) if you really want to be proactive.
On a more personal note I'm sure you will receive similar feedback from us PAX up here who remember the loss of our fellow colleagues on a daily basis. I just hope that your comments do not get read by the families of the deceased. Shame on you for being so insensitive, especially considering what thread you have decided to post on.
Max