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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 Emergency Response Teams Train for High-Angle Rescues

Published: July 17, 2017 | Category: BGCAPP News, Safety
A Blue Grass Army Depot firefighter rappels down a wall inside the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant as part of a high-angle rescue training exercise. In the case of a rescue at altitude at the plant, the depot will handle rescue and extraction while plant medical staff will provide medical care.

A Blue Grass Army Depot firefighter rappels down a wall inside the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant as part of a high-angle rescue training exercise. In the case of a rescue at altitude at the plant, the depot will handle rescue and extraction while plant medical staff will provide medical care.

Blue Grass plant medical staff collaborated with the Blue Grass Army Depot Fire Department in June for high-angle rescue training.

“We have several floors to our buildings and a lot of work going on at different elevations,” said Helen Allen, safety and health analyst, Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant. “Workers wear safety harnesses, but if someone falls, they could be dangling from their harness. Our teams are trained so they will know exactly what to do if they ever encounter that situation.”

This scenario involved a fictional worker, portrayed by the project’s training mannequin, who slipped and fell while working in the Agent Neutralization Room and was suspended by his harness, Allen said.

“The depot’s fire department is responsible for rescue and extraction,” said Craig Tokowitz, assistant medical director, Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass. “The plant’s medical facility team is responsible for providing medical care, which can range from basic first aid to advanced life support.”

Depot firefighters arrived with ropes and climbing gear and rappelled from the second floor to reach the mannequin, Tokowitz said. Each team member practiced hooking the mannequin to their gear, disconnecting him from his harness and lowering him safely to the ground floor, where plant medical staff took over and performed an evaluation.

Drills such as these are conducted around the Blue Grass plant site weekly, to keep emergency response top of mind and well-practiced, Allen said.

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)