Military personnel often have hazardous assignments. They depend on survival equipment to protect their lives in case of emergencies. Survival equipment specialists inspect, maintain, and repair survival equipment such as parachutes, aircraft life support equipment, and air-sea rescue equipment.
What They Do
Survival equipment specialists in the military perform some or all of the following duties:
- Inspect parachutes for rips and tangled lines
- Pack parachutes for safe operation
- Repair life rafts and load them with emergency provisions
- Test emergency oxygen regulators on aircraft
- Stock aircraft with fire extinguishers, flares, and survival provisions
- Train crews in the use of survival equipment
- Assemble, maintain and repair protective fabric components such as clothing and upholstery
- Train crews in the use of survival equipment
Helpful Attributes
Helpful school subjects include shop mechanics and science. Helpful attributes include:
- Ability to do work requiring accuracy and attention to detail
- Interest in working for the safety of others
Training Provided
Job training consists of classroom instruction, including practice in working with survival equipment. Further training occurs on the job and through additional courses. Course content typically includes:
- Parachute rigging techniques
- Repair of inflatable rafts and other survival equipment
- Maintenance of oxygen equipment
- Maintenance of air-sea rescue equipment
Work Environment
Survival equipment specialists in the military work in repair shops on land or aboard ships.
Civilian Counterparts
Civilian survival equipment specialists work for commercial airlines, parachute rigging and supply companies, survival equipment manufacturing firms, and some government agencies. They perform duties similar to military survival equipment specialists. Those that specialize in parachutes are called parachute riggers.
