USA: Explosive Ordnance Disposal School Breaks Ground for New Classrooms

Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for a Military Construction (MILCON) project at the Naval School of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NAVSCOLEOD), Dec. 5.

MILCON P927 includes plans for two new structures to house the Ground Ordnance Division, Core Division and the Tools and Methods Division, as well as an expansion to the dining facility, which will add approximately 49,000 square feet of permanent structure to NAVSCOLEOD. The $21 million project is scheduled for completion by January 2014.

“More than 20 percent of the school is currently housed in temporary structures and this project will deliver the best possible classrooms to replace them,” said Capt. Joseph Polanin, commanding officer of NAVSCOLEOD. “The project will also provide improved outdoor practical areas, double the size of our dining facility, enhance security and deliver county public utility service, all of which will substantially improve the readiness of this command and the quality of our training for decades to come.”

Students are currently taught classroom portions of three of the school divisions in temporary trailers, which have been in use at NAVSCOLEOD since December 2008.

According to U.S. Army Capt. Joseph Stalnaker, officer in charge of the Core Division of study at NAVSCOLEOD, improving the learning environment for the students will give them a higher rate of success and allow them to focus more on the task at hand – becoming an EOD Technician. The classrooms will also be easier to maintain and are designed for the specific needs of the prospective EOD Technicians and their instructors.

“The maintenance requirements for a temporary building located in an environment that is more harsh than what it was designed for is one of the limitations of the current structure,” said Stainaker. “Temporary general purpose classrooms also do not have the design features needed, particularly from a training space and information security standpoint, as a purposely-built classroom.”

Training at the Kauffman EOD Training Complex for EOD students takes a minimum of eight months. According to Polanin, the training provided is realistic, rigorous and relevant, and top-notch classrooms for those students selected to attend the school will aid them in receiving the best education possible.

“Those who vie for the honor and privilege to train here in years to come will be prepared to succeed, enabled by these new facilities,” added Polanin.

The new division buildings will contain classrooms, instructor areas and support spaces. The dining facility expansion will include the installation of a receiving and loading area, increased food storage, and more dining areas. MILCON P927 will also include upgrades to site infrastructure, such as access roads, pedestrian walkways and security.

NAVSCOLEOD, located on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. provides high-risk, specialized, basic and advanced EOD training to more than 2,100 U.S. and partner nation military and selected U.S. government personnel each year.

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Naval Today Staff, December 10, 2012