Explosives Safety Week begins

  • Published
  • By Weapons Safety Office
  • Air Armament Center
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The 96th Air Base Wing Commander, Col. Sal Nodjomian, has declared July 9-13 as Explosives Safety Week, here.

Units across Eglin will devote the week to emphasizing explosives safety.

Walt Monteith, deputy director of safety for the Air Armament Center, said the week is all about raising safety awareness and fighting complacency.

Conducting more than 6,000 explosives missions last year, Eglin personnel work with explosives of every kind ranging from simple bullets and black powder to sophisticated new formulations and smart weapons.

"Paradoxically, the longer we go without a death or injury, the more our explosives workers need to be reminded disaster could be just one mistake away," he said.

The festivities begin July 9 at 11 a.m., at the Base Exchange featuring aircraft weapons displays and an unexploded ordnance awareness presentation by EOD.

Explosives workers from across Eglin can take part in either of two explosives safety presentations at the Enlisted Heritage Hall, July 10. Hosted by the AAC weapons safety office, the hour-long presentations at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. will include a powerful film recalling the tragedy that prompted today's explosives safety standards.

Unit weapons safety representatives are invited to an invitation-only event July 11. Sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Munitions Directorate, the event includes a survey of emerging weapons technologies and will provide a greater appreciation for designing explosives safety into weapons systems.

There will be a memorial and short film to remember the 'Eglin-17', a group of civil engineers killed during WW-II in a mysterious explosion, which is still Eglin's worst accident, on June 12. The event is at 1:30 p.m., at the Eglin Chapel Center.

June 13 will be filled with various unit-level events.

"Commanders across Team Eglin can use Explosives Safety Week to remind their people the price for continued safety with explosives is constant vigilance and a healthy respect," said Monteith.