FORT KNOX, Ky. — Recognize, retreat, report – with a longstanding history of munitions training in various areas on and around past and present military installations, the Department of Defense developed an unexploded ordnance (UXO) safety class for all ages called the 3R Program.
The program focuses on the 3R steps, but also goes into detail on what a UXO is, what they can look like and tips for encounters, like marking the surrounding area for the authorities.
“The program boils down to three things that are meant to keep it simple,” said Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Safety Range Branch range operations supervisor Raymond Mcintyre. “Recognize that you found something that is not supposed to be there, retreat from the area, no matter where you are, the exact same way you went in; because you don't know if anything else is there and then report.”
Mcintyre stated that should an individual find a UXO within the range complex they should immediately call Range Operations, not 911, as the range complex often varies on dispatch locality. Mcintyre said that once they receive the call, they can quickly direct it to the correct 911 dispatch location to avoid confusion and mitigate potential risk as soon as possible. For incidents anywhere else individuals should immediately call 911.
According to both Mcintyre and Installation Safety Office safety specialist Vincent Bacon, it is important to know and follow these three steps because even though an area may no longer be used for munitions training, it may still contain remnants of trainings’ past.
“I was stationed in Berlin, Germany, in the mid-80s and it was not uncommon to all of a sudden see roads blocked off because they were still finding bombs from World War II,” said Mcintyre. “People often forget that this installation was a World War II training camp. When they were building HRC the records did not say the area was ever a training area, but during construction they found a supposed explosive device and they had to close down the whole area, so this program is important for possible moments like those.”
Bacon agreed that with an ever-changing population from all over the world, one never knows when or where an unexploded ordnance may be found.
“Say you have a young Soldier come and train here, and they take a device from down range, but then [return to the cantonment area] think, ‘this was a bad idea,’ and toss it down on the playground somewhere,” he said. “Within the 3R Program page you can learn what to do if you encounter a situation like this and which action you should take to keep you and your family safe.”
The 3R Program's emphasis on recognition and response is particularly important when it comes to children, McIntyre noted. In addition to providing guidance to adults on what to do in case of an encounter with a suspicious device, the materials also aim to teach children general awareness of safety and security.
“How do you teach a kid that something is explosive? You can’t. But you can teach them, ‘that’s not normal, that’s not supposed to be there,’” said Mcintyre. “With this program it doesn't matter what environment you're in or how old you are if you encounter a UXO, instead of the panic it will just be the three r's. ‘Oh, wait a minute, that’s not right, let me get away from it, let me tell somebody.’”
The Department of Defense Environment, Safety & Occupational Health Network and Information Exchange (Denix) website provides specific UXO safety handouts, presentation slides and more for Soldiers and their Families, children, community members and the workforce. Though the materials include various resources – like colorful cartoon characters for kids – the message stays the same; recognize, retreat, report.
No matter where one goes, both Bacon and Mcintyre recommend taking lessons learned from the 3R Program for those “just in case” situations.
“When you look at these resources, learn the information and take it with you if you leave Fort Knox,” said Bacon. “You can go somewhere like Arizona where a post existed years ago but closed down, now you’re living on an old military training base where you may find a UXO, but you will know what to do.”
Editor’s Note: For more information and resources from the program follow the link to the official Fort Knox Installation Safety Office Unexploded Ordnance page or the 3R Explosives Safety Education Program page. Authorized individuals who wish to enter the range complex for any reason must first schedule a Range Operations safety officer briefing by calling 502-624-2125.
Visit Fort Knox News at www.army.mil/knox for all of Central Kentucky's latest military news and information.
| Date Taken: | 01.24.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 01.27.2025 08:48 |
| Story ID: | 489681 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 250 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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