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Training MacDill's newest EOD Airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Ned T. Johnston
  • 6 AMW/PA
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  "A mistake when it really counts could lead to severe injuries or worse, which is why we train so much," said Airman 1st Class John Barr IV, 6th Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician .

When a career field has a name like explosive ordnance disposal, one could only imagine the dangerous situations EOD technicians must go through on a day-to-day basis. The members of 6th CES are well aware of the dangerous nature of their job and train year-round to ensure the safety of their Airmen for when they deploy.

"Getting on-the-job training is vital for mission success down range," said Barr.

The 6th CES recently received two Airmen straight out of boot camp and technical school and highlighted them in their training Aug. 15, 2013. Barr and Airman 1st Class Steven Murphy, 6th CES EOD technician, were tasked with a variety of different scenarios while Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Last, 6th CES EOD technician, and other senior EOD technicians watched for quality assurance.

"Every month is dedicated to training on different types of threats that we could face when we're deployed," said Last. "This month we're focusing on conventional munitions."

During the training, Barr and Murphy used a percussion actuated neutralizer (PAN), as well as an advance radiographic system (ARS) MK 41 during the training scenarios.

The PAN is used to blast a shot of water out of a tube and into a suspect item, such as boxes, crates, and backpacks filled with explosives. The PAN disrupts and disarms what is inside, or creates an opening in the suspect item, so the EOD technician can access what's inside.

The ARS MK 41 records and enhances images of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) concealed within suspect items. The digital X-ray can then be viewed to determine what the EOD technician is dealing with inside the concealment.

"After all the training we went through today, I can honestly say I learned a lot," said Murphy. "Scenarios I hadn't seen before as well as methods of solving the situation that I hadn't thought of before."