Safety Training Academy readies offshore first-responders for disasters

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Mary Guidry
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November 21, 2006
Mary Guidry
November 24, 2006

A passion for his country may have been what inspired Keith Benoit to enter into the Navy, but a passion for survival is what inspired him to enter into business for himself.


After serving in the Navy, Benoit began a brief career in sales. A few years later he was bitten by the “survival bug” again and started doing consulting work from home.

What Benoit created was an entirely new dimension to the offshore-oil industry market in the Tri-parish area, The Safety Training Academy.


According to Chief Operating Officer, JoAnna Mayon, much of Benoit’s consulting work was focused on water survival, and in order to meet the demands of his growing business, he bought his first facility in 1984.


Many years have passed since Benoit first opened his doors in Thibodaux, and many new competitors have entered into the market. Oscar Usie, operations manager said, “We have the largest facility and one of the most diverse curriculums in the United States.”

“We offer over 100 courses that are taught right here,” Mayon added.


Most of the courses offered at the academy directed toward the offshore-oil industry. One of the courses taught most often is their water survival class through the use of their Modular Egress Training simulator (MET), Usie said.


The MET simulates a helicopter crash into a body of water. This particular water survival course is an eight-hour class that meets international standards for helicopter underwater egress training.

The MET simulator is an elongated capsule that is placed in the academy’s pool and passengers are taught how to escape in emergency situations before becoming completely submerged.


“We can change the seating arrangement, windows and doors to simulate any type of aircraft that our clients would be using,” Usie said.


All of the teachers at The Safety Training Academy are extensively trained and certified from various governing entities. For safety measures at least four people, two instructors and two divers, are in the pool ready to assist students who become overwhelmed or cannot escape from the simulator.

After successful completion of the one-day course, the U.S Coast Guard awards the students a certificate.


“These are pass fail classes,” Usie said. “And you do have to pass.” He explained that just because a company pays for the course, the students still have to successfully complete the training.

“It’s too delicate of a situation to simply pass people through,” Usie said. “They have to leave educated and knowing what to do.”

The school’s Industrial Fire Fighting program is another class in high demand. The school boasts to have the most extensive fire grounds in Louisiana.“We have nine fire props that are capable of four scenarios each,” Mayon said. “So students get a chance to work with 36 different types of fires from the props we have on our grounds.”

The Safety Training Academy offers training on state-of-the-art equipment that hasn’t even been mandated in the Gulf of Mexico yet, Mayon said. The Viking Evacuation Chute is a relatively new devise that allows for quick evacuation from an oilrig, in case of emergencies.

The chute is a netting system attached to a fire and explosion-proof structure that leads down to water level. “People come from all over, nationally and internationally for this training,” Mayon said.

The academy not only offers courses for offshore companies, but for the general public as well. Mayon believes that his Serve Safe course offers something everyone can benefit from. The courses main focus is how to cook correctly.

“A lot of people don’t know that you have to cook certain foods at certain temperatures to eliminate health risks,” Mayon explained. “Food is much more susceptible to bacteria if it’s not cooked properly.”

Another course that may be of interest to the general public is the school’s first-aid and CPR class, according to Usie. He said, “It’s something that everyone should know. It could help protect your family, friends, co-workers and everyone else you come in contact with.

Even though The Safety Training Academy offers over 100 courses already, they have no plans to stop there, Mayon said. “We talk about adding new classes everyday.”

She said that one of the most recent classes under consideration is an ATV operators training course. Mayon explained that many companies have expansive facilities where ATV’s are used to get around. With proper training and certification, this could help to prevent accidents and reduce the company’s insurance rates on the vehicles.

The Saftey Academy is located at 924 Lefort Bypass in Thibodaux. More information about the classes offered can be found on their Web site at www.safetytrainingacdemy.com.

Jared Bailey can be reached at (985) 876-3008 or jared@tri-parishtimes.com.

Photo provided by Safety Training Academy Students learn firsthand how to fight an offshore fire at the Safety Training Academy. The Thibodaux-based academy offers a total of 101 courses. Its five classrooms hold up to 300 students. And with an Olympic pool, instructors can produce 5-knot currents, an undertow and rain to help students learn water rescues.