WEST RANGE SAFETY BRIEFING

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WEST RANGESAFETY BRIEFING
UNCLASSIFIED
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Overview

• Risk Assessment and Range General
• Range Overview
• Weapons and Associated Hazards
• Laser Safety
• Animal Hazards
• Vehicle Safety
• Fires and Weather
• Miscellaneous Hazards

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Fort Sill Supplement to AR 385-1

• USAFACFS 385-1 is the guide to operations on Fort
  Sill
• Be familiar with the regulation before attempting
  to run amuck on West Range
• Range Control is the OPR

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Risk Assessment

• Risk management is a mandatory, systematic
  process, which identifies risks of mission and
  training requirements, weighs risk against
  training benefits, and eliminates unnecessary
  risk.

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Risk Assessment and Violations

• Range Control personnel may issue the OIC, RSO or
  NCOIC of a unit conducting field training a Range
  Violation Notice (Fort Sill Form 650) for failure
  to comply with USAFACFS 385-1
• DPTMS will notify (in writing) the commander of
  the affected unit of the circumstances
  surrounding the violation. Depending on the
  severity of the violation, DPTMS or Chief, Range
  Division could decertify the OIC/RSO/NCOIC

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Certification

• A Range Safety Officer (RSO) appointed in writing
  (to Range Control) will be present at all range
  events
• A Laser Safety Officer (LSO) will be present
  whenever lasers are used
• The Range Training Officer (can be the RSO) will
  be identified to Range Control at check-in

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Reportable Incidents

• Any person observing or involved in an
  accident/incident will report it immediately to
  Range Control

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Terms

• CHECKFIRE Stop everything.
• WET Something is coming out of the aircraft (or
  lasers are being used)
• DRY Nothing is being employed by either the
  aircraft or the ground parties (to include lasers)

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Range Overview

• Basic Range Overview
• Airspace
• ACAs
• Opening and Closing Airspace

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Range Location and Other Fort Sill Impact Areas
Fort Sill
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West Range Impact Area
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WEST RANGE (1250,000)
Washita MOA
Falcon Range
Falcon Range
Fort Sill
Lawton Regional
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Area Airspace
CSM

• Washita MOA
• Sheppard 1
• Sheppard 2
• 8000 to FL220
• To FL260 on request
• Airfields listed suitable for divert except FDR
  (5500)

Washita MOA
Victor Route
LTS
Sheppard 1 MOA
LAW
FDR
Sheppard 2 MOA
SPS
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Range Airspace
R-5601D R-5601C
R-5601A
R-5601B
R-5601E
R-5601A Varied Altitudes (To FL320) R-5601B Surfac
e to FL320 (FL400) R-5601C Surface to FL240
(FL400) R-5601D 500 AGL to FL240
(FL400) R-5601E 500 AGL to 6000 MSL
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R-5601F
R-5601F
R-5601D R-5601C
R-5601A
R-5601B
R-5601E

• 500 AGL to FL240 (FL400)
• September 2006
• Fills in the gap between Washita MOA and R-5601

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ACAs

• There are two ACAs used by Fort Sill to
  deconflict aircraft and surface fires
• ACA Carlton
• Geographic
• ACA Williams
• Altitude

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ACA Carlton
Aircraft remain north of the 37 grid line
Surface to FL400
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ACA Williams
Aircraft remain above 7000 MSL
Arty remains below 7000 MSL
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Airspace Opening Procedure

• Notify Range Control 5 minutes prior to opening
  airspace
• 34.50 FM (385-1 preferred method)
• 2-2994, 2-2008 cell phone (In practice,
  recommended method)
• Wet check-in (Hot/lasers) or Dry check-in ?
  Whiskey or Delta codes

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Range Check-In
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Airspace Closing Procedure

• Notify Range Control of ordnance delivered
• 34.50 FM (385-1 preferred method)
• 2-2994, 2-2008 cell phone (In practice,
  recommended method)
• Wet check-out (Hot) or Dry check-out ? Whiskey or
  Delta codes
• Depending on the airspace, may return airspace to
  Fort Worth Center

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Range Check-Out
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Range Environment
Andrews Hill
Thompson Hill
CAS 1
CAS 2
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Weapons Safety

• Fort Sill contains a wide variety of USAF, Navy,
  and Army munitions.
• Live, inert, and training
• DO NOT pick up any ordnance unless EOD has told
  you it is safe.
• DO NOT attempt to take any ordnance as a
  souvenir. This is a federal offense.

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Weapons Types

• A live bomb is usually identified by yellow
  stripes.
• A dud bomb is a live bomb that does not function
  properly.
• An inert bomb has no explosive at all.
• A training munition may contain a small amount of
  explosive mass.
• INERT and TRAINING weapons are both painted BLUE.
  There is no way to tell the difference without
  training.

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MLRSMultiple Launch Rocket System(ARMY)
Rocket Motor Only
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105mm Artillery Round (Army)
This piece is expended (safe). Can you tell by
looking at this?
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Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions
(DPICM)
There are some areas on Fort Sill that were used
for DPICMs in the late 70s. These submunitions
are very dangerous. If you see one of these,
leave it alone.
3.1 inches
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BLU-97 Inert Submunition(USAF, Navy)
Inert Training Submunition (Aerial Mine)
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Mk-82 500 lb. Inert Bomb(USAF, Navy)
Hazard if unopened
Concrete-filled 500 lb. bomb
BSU-49 Parachute Retarding System
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Mk-82 500 lb. Inert Bomb
Parachute Retarder
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Mk-84 2000 lb. Inert Bomb(USAF, Navy)
Missing Fin Assembly
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BSU-49 Air Retarder Kit
Spring-Loaded Plate (Hazard Area if not opened)
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BSU-50 Air Retarder Kit
Potential Wildlife Habitats
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BDU-33 Training Bomb

• Thousands throughout the range
• Hard to determine if spotting charge has fired
• Spotting charge equivalent to 12 gauge shotgun

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BDU-33 Training Bomb

• BDU-33s contain a phosphorus spotting charge.
• The bomb itself is very unbalanced to hold (heavy
  front) and if dropped with a live charge, will
  fire.

Safety blocks
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Bullets

• Primarily 20mm TP (training ammunition)
• Inert steel or alloy rounds
• Usually lose the aluminum nose cone upon impact
• Can be High Explosive Incendiary, or HEI (not
  usual) or tracer
• Older F-4s jettisoned some rounds intact after
  each firing

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Bullets
These are GENERALLY harmless. Removal from the
range is a federal offense.
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Bullets
30mm rounds
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Other Munitions
Claymore Mine Grenade
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Mortars
Dont tread on me
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High-Drag Training Munitions (Mk-106, BLU-97 and
BDU-48)
BLU-97 without parachute
BDU-48
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Inert Cluster Bomb Training Munitions
(CBU-87/BLU-97)
BLU-97 bomblets with parachutes
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LUU-2 Illumination Flares
Lanyard
Danger Magnesium residue in LUU-2 flare can
self-ignite. Unexpended (dud) flares can ignite
when the lanyards are pulled and generate nearly
2 million candlepower of light and temperatures
of over 3000C.
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LUU-2 in Action
Footage of the so-called Phoenix Lights from
1997. These were dropped from A-10s SW of PHX
and caused quite a debate among UFO enthusiasts.
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Aircraft Self-Protection Chaff and Flares

• The flares usually burn out before hitting the
  ground. If they do hit the ground (dropped from
  less than 300 feet) they may start fires. Chaff
  (aluminized fiberglass) is harmless unless
  ingested.

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Reporting UXOs
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The Bottom Line

• If you did not put it there yourself, then LEAVE
  IT ALONE!

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Laser Safety

• Laser light is often invisible, but its damaging
  effects can be permanent.
• Many platforms use lasers for target designation
  and ranging.
• Fort Sill uses both the ground-based GLLD and
  IZLID, as well as the airborne Litening II and
  LANTIRN systems.

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Laser Uses
IZLID IZLID light viewed through
NVGs from 5 km

• IZLIDs are used to illuminate targets for pilots
  wearing night vision devices.
• Illuminator light is usually invisible to the
  unaided eye.

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Laser Uses
Litening II Targeting Pod on an F-16C

• Lasers on board aircraft are used to identify,
  range, and designate targets for laser-guided
  bombs.
• Airborne lasers can be eye-safe, or can be an
  extreme hazard.

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Laser Precautions

• Outdoor personnel MUST wear laser protective
  goggles and/or glasses.
• Other personnel must remain outside the range
  area (Laser Safety Zone, or LSZ).

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Laser Glasses and Goggles
Only AFRL-approved glasses and goggles may be
worn around lasers. Sunglasses do NOT provide
ANY protection.
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Laser Handling

• Treat an IZLID like you would a gun.
• DO NOT point at anything other than the target.
• While some lasers are Class 1 and Class 2
  (eye-safe) treat all lasers as if they are Class
  3 or higher.

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Animal Hazards

• With all this land, theres bound to be critters
  around.
• Fort Sill allows hunters to use the periphery of
  the range for hunting.
• Most of the animals on Fort Sill are typical of
  the surrounding area.

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Fort Sill Range Wildlife
Clear hazards to on-range working
These animals make their homes in targets and the
air retarding parachutes of high-drag bombs.
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Fort Sill Range Wildlife
More hazards to on-range working in Southwest
Oklahoma
Black Widow Spider (Painful poisonous neurotoxin)
Tarantula (Relatively harmless, just looks nasty)
Brown Recluse Spider (Really nasty bite)
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Other Critters

• Ticks Blood-sucking little beasts that are just
  plain awful
• Chiggers They actually dine on skin
• The resulting irritation can produce a weeping
  welt that lasts for days/weeks and itches
  something fierce
• Use DEET, keep pants legs bloused, avoid grass
  taller than ankle height

Ticks Chigger
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Fires and Weather (1)

• Pay attention to the Pyro Status from Fort Sill.
• Pyro Status may change during the range period.

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Fort Sill Pyro Status

• The Fort Sill Commander and/or Fire Department
  may place the ranges under various pyrotechnic
  statuses due to temperature, humidity,
  availability of fuel, and winds.

GREEN All ammunition cleared for
use AMBER Partial restrictions apply, all
ammunition expended must stay in the impact area
(i.e., pyro/simulators, White Phosphorus,
Illumination, Smoke, and blank/tracer
ammunition). RED No pyrotechnics use. No
strafe against hard targets, LAS/HAS in pits
only. Inert munitions and cold-charge (such as
CXU-3) or no-charge training munitions only.
Lasers OK. BLACK No live, blank or even inert
fire to include the use of pyrotechnics. Lasers
OK.
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Fires and Weather (2)

• Heat and Cold
• Temperatures in summer can exceed 104F (40C)
  with heat indices above 113F (45C).
• Stay hydrated, seek shade if needed, avoid heat
  exhaustion
• Winter wind chills can often be below 0F
• Will Rogers said it best about Oklahoma weather

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Heat Index(From the Fort Sill Intranet)
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Wind Chill Chart
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Fires and Weather (3)

• Lightning Watch
• Conditions exist for thunderstorms, or lightning
  has been detected within 30 miles.
• Continue activities but be ready to take shelter.
• Lightning Warning
• Lightning or correlated thunder detected within 5
  miles.
• Cease all outside activities.
• Seek shelter inside an enclosed vehicle or a
  building.

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Miscellaneous Hazards

• Noise Proper hearing protection is essential
• Do not cross flooded streams
• NVG use during driving See Chapter 3 to
  USAFACFS 385-1. Restrictions apply.
• Shrapnel is a tire-killer
• 35 mph is the impact area speed limit unless
  posted otherwise

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Review

• Risk Assessment and Range General
• Range Overview
• Weapons and Associated Hazards
• Laser Safety
• Animal Hazards
• Vehicle Safety
• Fires and Weather
• Miscellaneous Hazards

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Questions?
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The published guide to operations on West Range
is

• AFI 11-202 Volumes 1 and 3
• USAFACFS 385-1
• Range Control Annex A to AFI 13-212

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Any person observing or involved in an
accident/incident will report it immediately to

• The garrison commander
• The JACI Director
• Range Control
• All of the above

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ACA Carlton is a geographic ACA with surface
fires south of the ____ gridline.

• 33 E-W
• 35 E-W
• 37 E-W
• 39 E-W

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Notify Range Control at least ___ minutes prior
to operations on range.

• 5
• 10
• 15
• 30

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Spent bullets make great souvenirs.

• True
• False

They must be certified safe. While they might
look like cool souvenirs, they are also protected
by BATF laws and can get you into more trouble
than you want.
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Inert munitions are painted blue. This means
theyre safe to handle.

• True
• False

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Airborne lasers can be _________.

• Eye-safe
• Eye hazards
• Both of the above
• None of the above

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Laser eye precautions include wearing ______ or
remaining outside the laser safety zone.

• Sunglasses
• Welding goggles
• Laser protective goggles
• BCGs

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Ticks and chiggers can be countered with _____.

• DEET and long pants
• Nail polish remover
• Oatmeal and rubber gloves
• Two chickens, whipped cream, a set of jumper
  cables and a sledgehammer

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During RED PYRO strafe is prohibited against hard
targets, laser use is allowed, and cold-charge or
______ munitions may be employed.

• Hot-charge
• No-charge or inert
• LGTR or inert
• Blank or hot-charge

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Heat indices are reported by

• KSWO
• B-NOC
• Fort Sill Intranet
• Willard Scott

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Lightning Warnings occur when lightning is
observed inside of ____ miles. Take shelter in
a building or closed vehicle.

• 1
• 2
• 5
• 10

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Which of the Following Does Not Belong?