Photo By Jennifer Scales | Instructors of the FLETC-Artesia TDP General Training Branch got their chance to see...... read more read more
The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) at the Artesia Training Delivery Point (TDP) in New Mexico is now poised to take on the challenge to deliver firsthand training on various explosives materials and designs which may be used during foreign or domestic terroristic events.
Instructors for the Artesia TDP were out on their new training area on the western side of their campus, Dec. 9-10 to test the effectiveness of explosives materials and training, which is scheduled to begin there in March 2021.
This need for explosive training was developed during a Curriculum Review Committee (CRC) with Participating Organizations (PO) to update the Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP) enterprise wide.
“Changes needed to be made in lessons,” said Tony Valdes, Senior Instructor in the General Training Branch at the Artesia TDP. “We wanted to develop and implement explosives effects and provide demonstrations of various explosives which would be most effective for our over 90 PO’s and their students.”
This training will also include four hours of lecture along with two hours of practical lab exercises.
The use of their senses will be a vital part of the range experience, according to Valdes. “Once they are out on the range, students will be able to see, feel, even smell the after effects of the explosives detonation firsthand,” he said.
With the three stages of the blast---thermal, blast pressure and fragmentation---students should be able to assess from onsite interviews and their own tactile experience, what type of explosives may have been used, and determine their law enforcement response to a pre, post, or continuing blast event.
“This three-pronged approach to training will help the students attain a better grasp in the learning process,” Valdes said. “When they are out at their field site, training learned here will aid them when conducting interviews with either victims or witnesses and crime scenes preservation.”
The Artesia TDP explosive range has recently been completed and the instructors are becoming familiar with the area.
“This is a new concept for us in Artesia,” Valdes said. “But it is a necessity in this day and age of our environment. Students who participate learn how to identify explosives and devices, unknown property such as suspicious packages, and ultimately increase their careers and survivability when they come into situations which put them in danger.”
The biggest benefit to having this range is that students will always remember sights and sounds,” Valdes said. “It’s one thing to observe something on paper, but it’s an altogether new sense when it’s right here in real life.”
Artesia is the only other TDP beside FLETC-Glynco to have their explosive training range on their own property. “We created this from the very beginning concept,” Valdes said.
The new range in Artesia also brings to staff a couple of unique positions. Explosive Range Officers (ERO) and Range Safety Officers (RSO) must be qualified as such.
The ERO must have some Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training either through their military experience or as a bomb technician through a Public Service course. The RSO will go through a Department of Homeland Security weeklong training through the Energetic Material Research and Training Center (EMRTC) in Socorro, New Mexico and pass a written test upon completion.
ERO’s in Artesia are Valdes and Michael Laman, detailed from the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS).
Branch Chief of General Training, John Newman pointed out some of the people behind the creation of the Artesia range. “I must give special recognition to Tony Valdes for this range development and concept,” Newman said. “He [Valdes] needs to be credited for the many long hours of research and development along with the development and implementation of an Artesia specific SOP.”
Newman also added thanks to the Artesia leadership and PO’s for their vested support for the project and course updates regarding explosives.
| Date Taken: | 12.20.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2020 18:08 |
| Story ID: | 385428 |
| Location: | GLYNCO, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 747 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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