Photo By Airman 1st Class Victoria Moehlman | U.S. Airmen assigned to the 325th Security Forces Squadron check for bullet ricochet...... read more read more
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Scheduled to be up and running in August, Combat Arms and Maintenance instructors, construction workers and other units from around the base performed a safety inspection on the new CATM facility, June 28, 2024. They checked for any discrepancies to ensure the building is safe for use.
The CATM facility is crucial to building Airmen’s confidence in weapons use with proper safety, shooting, and assembly and disassembly. The indoor range will allow Airmen to qualify for deployments and readiness training at Tyndall, without having to travel to another location.
“Right now, every single rifle class we have is booked up until September,” said Staff Sgt. Joshua Carter, 325th Security Forces Squadron CATM instructor. “We don’t have any room for classes because dealing with the range being off base, there’s just not enough time and days available. The overall goal is to get everyone in in a more efficient, expedient process. More people need to be qualified than can get qualified.”
During the safety inspection, various weapons were fired to evaluate the ricochet trajectory, noise decibels, environmental and air quality and proper safety standards were all met. The standards are set to ensure no Airmen using the facility is in danger, including the weapons they use or the environment in which they are firing.
“This inspection ensures the safety of students, the safety of instructors and the longevity of the range,” Carter said. He explained that several agencies including a hazmat team, the fire department, safety and bioenvironmental all contribute to the required inspection checklist containing 83 items.
As the Air Force Force Generation deployment model takes effect, instructors are expecting to qualify nearly 30% more individuals than they currently train. Having this facility on Tyndall means Airmen will be able to gain weapons qualification in a timely manner and be ready for any mission that calls.
“It’s a peace of mind for leadership and for the Airmen knowing that [having CATM] at Tyndall Air Force Base you are going to be 100% ready,” said Oscar Forero, 325th Logistics Readiness Squadron installation deployment officer. “It means for the Airmen that they have peace of mind knowing that before they deploy, they will be ready, they will be qualified and that they will know how to shoot their weapon.”
The safety inspection was successful and following the final inspection of the entire facility, Carter said they plan to have the facility open by the end of the summer, ensuring Tyndall is ready to provide the necessary training to Team Tyndall.
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.12.2024 18:15 |
| Story ID: | 476103 |
| Location: | TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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