EOD sets mile-high physical fitness standards

PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- As the sun rose over the base Dec. 13, explosive ordnance disposal personnel from Peterson and Buckley Air Force Bases participated in their annual EOD Safety Day.

Master Sgt. Ross Kurashima, 302nd Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight chief, said the career field has a requirement in which all Air Force EOD units take a tactical and operational pause for a day. The day is used to teach EOD operators on support activities available to them and their families including EOD-specific medical support, behavioral health and family support center.

"We also use this opportunity to review lessons learned from the battlefield, not to scrutinize what went wrong, but how we can apply the take away to future operations," Kurashima said.

The theme of this year's EOD Safety Day was "Balance" with an emphasis on reconstitution of the Airmen's four pillars of resiliency: Physical-Mental-Social-Spiritual.

The physical training was geared toward team work and designed to allow individual weaknesses and strengths to be made evident to the individual as well as the group. The group only moved as fast as the slowest person and "on the fly" adjustments were necessary to ensure the team performed as efficiently as possible. During a 1.5 mile movement, the team rotated through different carries including sharing a 235-pound litter, a 20-pound medicine ball, a pair of 70-pound kettle bells and a 45-pound duffle bag.

"EOD members are held to higher physical fitness standards due to our mission," Kurashima said. "We need to have the capacity to operate at a high level, for extended periods of time and often in austere conditions. Our physical training is geared toward ensuring success with any contingency mission and environment."