Chief of Weapons Safety, 87th Air Base Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.
11/19/2014 - Winter 2014 -- If an explosive detonates when you don't want it to, it changes everything!
My job as the Chief of Weapons Safety at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL) is to ensure that the people who work with explosives do it in the safest possible manner. The challenges present themselves every day. JB MDL is America's only "tri-service" installation, serving the Air Force, Army, and Navy. You must have knowledge of explosives storage, maintenance, site planning, explosives facility licensing, explosives cargo aircraft, artillery ranges, and many other areas for all three services! It's not easy trying to explain to Army ordnance personnel that the Air Force requirements have to be met in addition to their own, and it is a challenge that keeps you on your toes.
Providing explosives safety oversight for personnel whose explosives knowledge is minimal is more important than you think. People do not realize that something as small as a bullet or explosives cartridge can remove fingers or hands--or even kill you. My job is to make sure people know what the risks are.
My job is also to inform commanders of the risks involved in performing explosives operations, even when they are complying with explosives standards. When we need to perform a mission and can't meet explosives standards, it becomes even more important that commanders have all available information to accept risk in meeting the mission.
Weapons safety is more than meets the eye. It is ensuring that explosives operations are conducted as safely as they can be, while meeting all safety standards, to make sure we don't have to face the consequences when something goes wrong!
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