Don’t rush to failure

Photo By Sgt. Erik Anderson | Pvt. Nicholas M. Raven, foreground, from Niles, Mich., assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, fills fuel cans March 15 at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif. All Army occupational specialties have a set of standard operating procedures designed to reduce risk of injury to soldiers and damage to equipment.  

CA, UNITED STATES

03.16.2012

Story by Spc. Erik Anderson 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

FORT IRWIN, Calif.- Soldiers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, are deployed to the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, Calif., through the month of March for the first rotation of force-on-force training at NTC in nearly 10 years.

Despite the high intensity training environment, the Sledgehammer Brigade is making safety a priority.

“The priority is preventing accidents,” said Bob Topolewski, brigade safety officer, 3rd HBCT. “Protecting soldiers and equipment is really all about preserving combat power.”

With nearly 5,000 Soldiers and around 800 pieces of equipment including tactical vehicles, the 3rd Brigade is flexing its full combat power during the exercise at Fort Irwin.

“Everyone is under pressure to get it done now,” explained Topolewski. “Finding a pace that is safe for environmental conditions is a critical key for success.”

The Mojave Desert can be a harsh landscape with a variety of obstacles to overcome.

“Sometimes it is the heat, but our concern at this time of year is wind,” he said. “High winds reduce vehicular visibility and present a high potential for eye injury, not to mention damage to tents, antennas and other equipment.”

For safety officers like Topolewski, the safety mission never stops.

“I try to spot systematic problems,” he explained. “I give suggestions for better, safer ways to conduct operations.”

The Sledgehammer Brigade is training for a decisive action mission by simulating force-on-force combat across large expanses of land.

“We’re here to train,” said Topolewski. “The real mission comes down the road. This is about getting better, and there is no reason to take an unnecessary risk.”

• Date Taken: 03.16.2012
• Date Posted: 03.18.2012 01:06
• Story ID: 85417
• Location: CA, US