No Second Chances, 155th EOD Flight Trains on Demolition Skills

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jamie Titus | Staff Sgt. Brandon Robla, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician with the 155th Civil Engineer Squadron, lays down flex linear shape charges Aug. 29, 2019, at the Army National Guard’s Greenlief Training Center, near Hastings, Nebraska. The EOD technicians conduct demolitions training to make sure they are up-to-date on their skills since one mistake could be fatal. (U.S. Air Force photo taken by Senior Airman Jamie Titus)  

LINCOLN, NE, UNITED STATES

08.29.2019

Story by Senior Airman Jamie Titus 

155th Air Refueling Wing, Nebraska Air National Guard

Unlike most jobs, making a mistake in the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Career field can be fatal. That’s why practicing different techniques on a training range is so important for EOD Airmen.
The EOD flight is part of the 155th Civil Engineer Squadron and has the mission of destroying unserviceable munitions or rendering safe munitions that are considered unsafe both in United States and overseas.
On Aug. 29, 2019, the EOD flight conducted demolition training at the Army National Guard’s Greenlief Training Center near Hastings, Nebraska.
On Wednesday the Airmen practiced with specialized explosive tools and Thursday they practiced demolition skills to make sure they were familiar with demolition techniques.
“It’s not every day you get to leave the base and go do real demolitions training,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon Robla, an EOD technician with the 155th CES. “This is the time where you can practice different shots, different techniques and just learn a whole lot before you actually go overseas and have to do it.”
Robla said the EOD Airman try not to make mistakes, but making mistakes on the training range is far better than making them in the real world where miscalculations can have deadly results.
“In real life you don’t get a second chance,” said Robla
Master Sgt. Bradley Siegersma, the EOD flight chief, explained that an EOD Airman’s skills are perishable, so conducting realistic training allows them to brush up on techniques needed to conduct their dangerous job.
“Working with explosives and especially the specialized explosive charges, there’s a high level of detail that comes into play,” said Siegersma. “Without doing that on a regular basis, we lose those fine motor skills.”
Attention to detail, he said, is everything.
“It’s very specific and there’s no room for error, otherwise you run the risk of getting somebody seriously hurt or killed,” said Siegersma.
One of the techniques the Airmen practiced was getting a buried water jug filled with explosives out of the ground by detonating a block of Composition C4 underneath it, something Robla had never done before. He explained this process allows the EOD technicians to uncover other hazards that might be associated with the jug while at a safe distance. The water jug filled with explosives is one example of an Improvised Explosive Device that EOD technicians may encounter while deployed overseas.
The training on the range helps the EOD Airmen, and those looking to them for protection, to have confidence in their skills.
Siegersma added, “Overall, refreshing the skill set of working with significant quantities of explosives was probably the single biggest takeaway.”

• Date Taken: 08.29.2019
• Date Posted: 09.09.2019 18:22
• Story ID: 339056
• Location: LINCOLN, NE, US