NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas -- Nearly 30 community and base leaders joined 301st Fighter Wing Explosive Ordnance Disposal Airmen for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 4, 2019 at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas.
During the event, 301st Fighter Wing Vice Commander Randall Cason addressed the crowd, emphasizing the importance and scope of the EOD unit. They are vital to what we do and their contribution to our mission is invaluable Cason added.
Previously, there was no permanent building for the EOD unit, which consists of 10 Active Guard Reserve and 11 Traditional Reservists. They were temporarily housed in a 5,100 square foot building, but now they will be in one with more than 10,000 square feet of training and equipment storage space.
The new building is a welcome addition to the unit after waiting for several years for the project to be completed. In true EOD style, the ribbon was cut by one of the unit’s robots controlled by NAS Fort Worth JRB Commander Navy Capt. Jonathan Townsend. Attendees also had the opportunity to go on a tour of the building.
“The biggest addition has been the logistics storage bay, which will hold our deployable unit-type-coded equipment and help us on several levels,” Senior Master Sgt. Brandon Koebbe, 301 FW EOD Superintendent. “Per the requirement, these deployable UTCs [can now be properly] stored in a controlled environment allowing us to respond not only to any mission globally, but also to emergencies on base or in our 35 surrounding counties. This storage space will also lengthen the shelf life of expendables, saving the Air Force $25,000 annually.”
The 301 FW Mission Support Group Commander Col. Trina Hood explains how this EOD unit impacts the community.
“301 EOD’s primary mission is to support 301 FW F-16 aircraft by rendering safe any hung ordnance, unexploded ordnance, or munitions, responding to downed aircraft, and providing installation force protection. We also support the surrounding 35 counties (around 50,000 square miles) by responding to military munitions found on personal property and terrorist and improvised explosive device threats.”
EOD has a need for large storage, training, and maintenance areas in order to meet the demand of their mission.
“The new facility offers two vehicle storage bays for their Bomb Squad Emergency Response Vehicle (BSERV) and the Total Containment Vessel (TCV), nicknamed ‘8-Ball.’” Hood said. “It also has a workshop to conduct robotic maintenance and operations, as well as a 1000 square foot classroom to hold courses required to maintain qualifications.”
This building, which was a MILCON Project funded under the New Mission category, was a need based on a New Mission stand up identified by a shortage of EOD Technicians available to support the war efforts. Master Sgt. David Warwick, 301 FW EOD, worked with Maj. Randy Roberts, 10th Air Force Engineer and Chief Master Sgt. Don Meadows, 10AF Prime BEEF Manager back in 2012 to identify the facility requirements and help initiate the process to make this facility a reality. The former EOD building will be converted into a much needed 301 CES workshop, tool crib and training area. 301 CES Structures, Utilities and Electrical technicians will have access to work space for critical hands-on training and the ability to conduct small repair projects for other 301 FW facilities.