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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)
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      Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)


      Mission: Destroy Chemical Weapons Stockpile

      Vision: Chemical Weapons Free by 2023

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      Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (BGCAPP)

      BGCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond, Kentucky.

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      Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP)

      PCAPP is safely destroying the chemical weapons stockpile currently in storage at the U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.

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Colleagues Honored for Saving Life of Pueblo Plant Worker

Published: February 25, 2016 | Category: PCAPP News, People
Project Manager Rick Holmes, left, and Col. Thomas Duncan II, right, stand with Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) fire paramedic Joe Reno, control room operator Tom Hassing, training simulator engineer Wendell Savage and paramedics Wade Wills, Michael Whitmore and Kurt Thompson at an event sponsored by the American Red Cross. Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant and PCD employees were recognized as Hometown Heroes for responding to a medical emergency which resulted in saving a life.

Project Manager Rick Holmes, left, and Col. Thomas Duncan II, right, stand with Pueblo Chemical Depot (PCD) fire paramedic Joe Reno, control room operator Tom Hassing, training simulator engineer Wendell Savage and paramedics Wade Wills, Michael Whitmore and Kurt Thompson at an event sponsored by the American Red Cross. Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant and PCD employees were recognized as Hometown Heroes for responding to a medical emergency which resulted in saving a life.

Eight Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) employees and one U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot paramedic, whose quick thinking saved the life of a fellow worker, were recognized by the American Red Cross as Hometown Heroes Feb. 17.

“I think everybody who helped is a Hometown Hero,” said Rick Holmes, Bechtel Pueblo Team project manager. “Not only did they get engaged immediately, but the way they provided care is part of what we do at the site; we take care of each other.”

On Feb. 9, 2015, Dennis O’Hanlon was walking to the PCAPP parking lot with colleague Wendell Savage when O’Hanlon began having trouble walking and later collapsed. Tom Hassing, a control room operator and former emergency medical technician, who was nearby, recognized O’Hanlon’s symptoms and began cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). On-site paramedics were called and arrived with an automated external defibrillator (AED). Defibrillation was performed and CPR was continued on the way to a local hospital.

“Early recognition, early CPR and early use of an AED are critical to life saving efforts,” said Bill Fortune, communications specialist for the American Red Cross Colorado and Wyoming Region.

In addition to Hassing and Savage, Bob Choice, Kyle Hughes, Brian Jackson, Mike Whitmore, Wade Willis, Kurt Thompson and Joe Reno are credited for saving O’Hanlon’s life.

“We have an on-site medical clinic and our paramedics rendered immediate aid,” said Holmes. “We have a number of people who are trained and certified in American Red Cross CPR. By having had that training, it saved Dennis’ life.”

“What made the difference is that people were there at that moment to get CPR started and notify medical,” said Whitmore, a paramedic with the PCAPP Medical Clinic. “No one hesitated. They assessed the situation and initiated CPR.”

“The one thing we know is that CPR saves lives,” said Fortune. “The key is being willing to do it—stepping up and helping someone in need.”

More PCAPP People Articles

  • Mark Honnen, an Air Force veteran and deputy chief of staff to Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, is the newest member of the Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens' Advisory Commission.

    Colorado Governor Appoints New Advisory Commission Member

    Published: April 8, 2021
  • Toxic Material Handlers from the Pueblo Chemical Depot load a pallet of munitions onto a Modified Ammunition Vehicle, or MAV.

    Toxic Material Handlers Keep Up with Demand

    Published: April 6, 2021
  • Colorado Congress Members Tour Pueblo Plant

    Colorado Congress Members Tour Pueblo Plant

    Published: February 12, 2021
  • Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant Automation Specialist Wendell Savage teaches the Training Facility robot about the new Drained Munition Weight Station. Later, the lessons were applied to the plant’s Munitions Washout System.

    Pueblo Plant Worker Instrumental in Campaign Success

    Published: February 2, 2021
  • From left, Ken Harrawood, project manager, Bechtel Pueblo Team, Walton Levi, site project manager, Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant, and Col. Michael Cobb, military commander, Pueblo Chemical Depot, give the Pueblo City Council a briefing Oct. 15, 2019, on the status of the destruction of the stockpile of mustard agent-filled munitions.

    Plant, Depot Officials Keep Local Governments Briefed on Stockpile

    Published: November 20, 2019
  • Walton Levi, who has been serving as acting site project manager, will fill the position on a permanent basis.

    Acting Site Project Manager at Pueblo Plant Named to Permanent Post

    Published: July 2, 2019
  • Then Bechtel Pueblo Team Project Manager Brett Griebenow, left, appears at a Colorado Chemical Demilitarization Citizens’ Advisory Commission public meeting Feb. 27, 2019, with Ken Harrawood, right. Harrawood replaced Griebenow as PM at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in late March.

    New Bechtel Pueblo Team Manager Keeps Momentum

    Published: April 15, 2019
  • Bechtel Pueblo Team Plant Improvement Support Manager Paul Dent answers questions from Jesse Newland, Environmental Scientist, EPA Region 8, during a public meeting held to inform citizens on the proposed Static Detonation Chambers on Feb. 12, in Pueblo, Colorado.

    Public Meetings Keep Citizens Informed

    Published: February 25, 2019
  • Members of the Colorado 2 Disaster Medical Assistance Team pose for a group photo near a mobile hospital set up to provide medical care to Florida residents affected by Hurricane Michael.

    Pueblo Plant Employee Provides Disaster Relief

    Published: November 8, 2018
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Other Recent PCAPP News

  • Toxic Material Handlers Keep Up with Demand

    Toxic Material Handlers Keep Up with Demand

    April 6, 2021
  • Attention to Detail Prevents System Clogs

    Attention to Detail Prevents System Clogs

    March 23, 2021
  • Innovative Solution Reduces Problematic Munitions

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  • Pueblo Plant Upgrades Closed-Circuit Camera System

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  • Pueblo Plant Worker Instrumental in Campaign Success

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    February 2, 2021
  • Strict Protocols Keep Pueblo Plant Safe

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    January 20, 2021
  • Static Detonation Chamber Units Begin Testing

    Static Detonation Chamber Units Begin Testing

    December 22, 2020
  • Plants Operate with Pandemic Precautions in Place

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PCAPP People Videos

  • Pueblo Plant Engineers Bring Science to Life for Students

    Pueblo Plant Engineers Bring Science to Life for Students

    June 10, 2014
  • Pueblo, Colorado – Home of Heroes

    Pueblo, Colorado – Home of Heroes

    August 13, 2013

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Program Executive Office, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (PEO ACWA)