A Pueblo plant mechanical technician safely completed 500 entries into potentially toxic areas of the plant for maintenance and closure-related activities Oct. 4.

Cary Church’s accomplishment required attention to detail and technical acuity, said Walton Levi, site project manager, Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP). Just two others have reached that number in the history of the PCAPP project. Viktor Korotkov holds the record for Demilitarization Protective Ensemble, or DPE, entries with 559 as of Oct. 11, while Mike Vigil logged 502 entries before exiting the project earlier this year.

“These 500 safe entries represent Cary’s responsibility and accountability to his team and the project as well as his commitment to our mission,” Levi said. “It’s exciting to see individuals achieve such historic numbers.”

Although the chemical weapons stockpile has been eliminated at PCAPP, DPE entries will continue through closure. These entries are required when hands-on tasks must take place in potentially toxic areas. A DPE includes a single-use, encapsulating, chemical-protective outer garment that operates at positive pressure, with external supplied air to assure protection against inward leaks, and supporting equipment such as escape air pack, heart-rate meter and two-way radio.

The closure process for a demilitarization facility requires toxic areas to be decontaminated to remove remaining agent residue, said Tyler Wolske, PCAPP safety engineer.

“Even though the munitions have been destroyed, the remaining contamination requires plant staff to use personal protective equipment, like the DPE suits, for personnel safety as we decontaminate the processing areas and the equipment in those areas,” Wolske said.

Church has been with PCAPP for more than six years and offered this advice to new toxic-area DPE entrants: “Come to work hydrated. Once you’re in there, just breathe and do your thing.”