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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: The safe elimination of chemical weapons at Pueblo and Blue Grass by Sept. 30, 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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Blue Grass Fire Training Goes High Tech

Published: October 27, 2016 | Category: BGCAPP News, Safety
A Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant trainee attempts to put out a simulated fire with a laser-equipped extinguisher while a training specialist remotely controls the situation

A Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant trainee attempts to put out a simulated fire with a laser-equipped extinguisher while a training specialist remotely controls the situation

Technicians are practicing extinguishing fires using an electronic simulator, as part of the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant’s (BGCAPP) ongoing commitment to safety.

“These people would be first on the scene if something, however unlikely, should happen,” said Chuck Mecham, training specialist, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “This activity gives the trainees the opportunity to practice their knowledge into a skill, so they will not only know what to do in a fire situation, but have the physical experience to be able to do it effectively.”

Personnel who work in the areas around munitions, such as the handlers who will unload them from their transport containers within the destruction facility, receive this training under the requirements of plant permits, said Mecham.

“The simulator system uses an electronic screen and a dummy fire extinguisher that shoots a laser beam,” said Mecham. “There’s no smoke, no emissions and no clean-up like there would be with traditional fire-response training. We can use this system indoors, in any weather, and can quickly train multiple people.”

The digital fire simulator used by BGCAPP can simulate Class A (common combustibles such as paper/wood), B (flammable liquids) and C (electrical) fires, including sounds, said Mecham. The laser extinguisher looks and weighs the same as a standard fire extinguisher, and the laser is timed to run out when a standard fire extinguisher would.

“This training saves the project time and money,” said Sunday Street, safety engineer, BGCAPP. “There is no recharging of extinguishers, no resetting and clean-up of materials and no waiting around of trainees while those activities are commencing. Plus, it helps our employees gain confidence should they ever encounter a fire situation.”

More BGCAPP Safety Articles

  • Workers lower a 30,000-pound buffer tank into the Blue Grass Static Detonation Chamber 1200 building through an opening in the roof. This tank will buffer exhaust gases from the destruction process of the drained nerve-agent rocket warheads before the gases are processed in the off-gas treatment system.

    New Tank Safely Lowered Through Roof

    Published: March 30, 2022
  • Workers remove the first crate of non-contaminated rocket motors from a storage igloo on the Blue Grass Army Depot in preparation for transport to the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama. The first load was shipped out Nov. 1 and received Nov. 2. The motors will be destroyed in the Anniston Static Detonation Chamber when environmental permitting is completed. A portion of this photo has been blurred in accordance with Department of Defense guidelines.

    First Non-Contaminated Rocket Motor Shipment Completed

    Published: December 2, 2021
  • A worker unstraps two pallets of VX M55 rockets in the Munitions Demilitarization Building at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in this file photograph from July. As of Nov. 14, 50% of the VX agent stored on the Blue Grass Army Depot has been destroyed.

    Fifty Percent of VX Nerve Agent Destroyed in Kentucky

    Published: November 16, 2021
  • An operator checks to make sure a valve is open for loading hydrolysate into a tank trailer at the Tanker Loading Station at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The first two tankers of hydrolysate were safely shipped Oct. 7 for destruction at Veolia Environmental Services near Port Arthur, Texas.

    First Blue Grass Hydrolysate Shipment Safely Completed

    Published: October 25, 2021
  • Medical personnel perform a drill of stabilizing a patient (a medical dummy) and preparing him for transport to a local hospital at the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. The plant relies upon 12 area hospitals to receive decontaminated and stabilized personnel in the unlikely event of a chemical-agent or industrial accident.

    Coordination with Hospitals Essential for Plant Operations

    Published: September 30, 2021
  • Drill Enhances Emergency Response

    Drill Enhances Emergency Response

    Published: February 9, 2021
  • Program Partner Plays Key Role in Destruction Activities

    Program Partner Plays Key Role in Destruction Activities

    Published: January 28, 2021
  • Plants Operate with Pandemic Precautions in Place

    Plants Operate with Pandemic Precautions in Place

    Published: December 17, 2020
  • Decision Made Regarding Use of Secondary System

    Decision Made Regarding Use of Secondary System

    Published: September 10, 2020
  • Public Meeting Changes to Virtual Platform

    Public Meeting Changes to Virtual Platform

    Published: September 3, 2020
BGCAPP Training

More BGCAPP Training Articles

  • Kentucky Team Trains for Toxic Entries

    Kentucky Team Trains for Toxic Entries

    May 4, 2018
  • Partners Practice Response in Integrated Spill Drill

    Partners Practice Response in Integrated Spill Drill

    February 14, 2018
  • Technicians Use Mist and Light to Test Filters

    Technicians Use Mist and Light to Test Filters

    February 7, 2018
  • Depth of Experience Critical to Operations Training

    Depth of Experience Critical to Operations Training

    January 23, 2018
  • Protective Suit Sealer Ready for Operations

    Protective Suit Sealer Ready for Operations

    December 28, 2017

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