Explosions, smoke and orange vests

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amber Ashcraft
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Airmen immediately halt their tasks as a loud explosion echoes across the field. A thick blanket of smoke begins to rise from the area as a uniformed man in a bright orange vest lingers a short distance away.

"I'm waiting to see what happens," said the Exercise Evaluation Team member.

Several Airmen quickly run to the area where their peers are laying on the ground, calling out for help. They begin assessing the scene and pull the simulated victims to safety.

The explosion and smoke, though physically real, were for a simulated incident set up by an EET member.

"The ground burst simulators and effects from smoke grenades make an inject a little more believable during an exercise," said Tech. Sgt. Geoffrey Sloane, 2nd Bomb Wing Plans and Operations. "The simulated effects are used just like moulaged victims during Major Accident Response Exercises."

Sloane, along with 10 other EET members from across the wing, recently attended a GBS/Smoke grenade class held at the 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal facility.

Having active roles in wing exercises, the EET members attended the training to assist with the realistic effects during injects, said Sloane.

"The class was very informative and a lot of fun," said Master Sgt. Kevin Chambliss, 2nd Communications Squadron. "It's my first time taking it and I'm looking forward to using the training appropriately during upcoming exercises."

The class, taught by Senior Airman Timothy Habedank, EOD technician, started with a 20-minute video presentation about the safety precautions of handling, employment and operation of the pyrotechnic devices. A pamphlet was also handed out, reminding the soon-to-be trained personnel of the safe transportation, safe distances of using the pyrotechnics, misfire procedures and emergency actions.

"We teach 25 to 30 classes a year," said Habedank. "There are special circumstances that require individuals to have this training, such as Security Forces personnel before they deploy or, in this case, EET members who are responsible for injects during an exercise. The training has to be taken annually and the attendees receive a card to carry that names them as trained pyrotechnic throwers."

To become fully certified, the students have to go out in the field and receive hands-on training by throwing the pyrotechnics.

"The instructors are there with the members to show them the proper way to handle the GBS and smoke grenades, and also for safety in case there's a misfire," said Habedank.

Though EET members are trained to set up the GBS and smoke grenades, they aren't trained to handle the misfires.

"This last class, there was a GBS that did not go off," said Habedank. "There's a minimum wait period of 30 minutes and then an EOD technician moves in to handle it. We've advised EET and XP to not throw pyrotechnics in high traffic areas during an exercise, such as directly on the flightline or on a road, because in case it doesn't go off, traffic and missions stop and everyone has to wait before we can move in and take care of it."

The GBS and smoke grenades can be used to simulate a wide range of scenarios during MAREs, Anti-Terrorism/Armed Response and Natural Disaster Readiness Exercises.

"Our whole mission is to keep Barksdale personnel ready at all times for any type of incident or emergency," said Sloane. "Using these techniques keeps it as real as possible, allowing our personnel to respond in a way they would in real life."