Fort Knox Safety: 'If you come here with 1,500, you need to leave with 1,500'

By Eric Pilgrim | Fort Knox NewsDecember 11, 2018

Fort Knox Safety Office warns of dangers during training
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Knox Safety Office warns of dangers during training
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

A military vehicle rollover in the training ranges of Fort Knox near Agony Hill Dec. 7 has become a teachable moment and a word of warning from Fort Knox's Safety Office.

Roughly 1,500 Soldiers have been inhabiting the training areas of Fort Knox the past week as part of a multi-state training exercise. For Joseph Colson, the garrison safety officer, that large amount of troops coupled with the severity of central Kentucky's terrain can spell disaster if proper driving cautions are not followed.

"When they come here, it's important that they understand this is not Iraq, this is not Afghanistan, this is not Bosnia; this is Fort Knox," said Colson. "We have 22, 23, 17, 14-percent grades out there, and when you get down to the end of it, where you think the road's going to go straight, it could turn.

"They have to be more cognizant of their abilities out there."

According to reports, a military vehicle was towing a disabled heavier vehicle when the weight of the one being towed caused the other one to get out of control. There were no injuries during the rollover, but not all accidents end up that way.

In 1992, two Marine five-ton trucks crashed at Fort Knox during training, causing one to roll over and resulting in multiple fatalities.

Colson warned that the terrain can be fraught with dangers depending on what types of training Soldiers are conducting and when. For instance, drivers may be expected to wear night vision goggles during the training. As roads bend, suddenly rise or fall in elevation and even narrow at critical junctures, like on bridges, limited vision becomes especially hazardous. That's when training needs to kick in, according to Colson.

"When that [military vehicle] hits pavement and then hits the sand, the young driver's going to panic. Then when those young drivers panic, it's going to roll; that wheel's going to turn real hard to one direction and the vehicle's going to flip on its side," said Colson. "That's how we get fatalities."

Fort Knox Range Branch officials have posted signs at areas where fatalities have occurred. They also cover safety concerns during each of their briefs. Colson said while the briefings are good, they are not enough.

"Something that's probably really important, that we need to do more of is not just brief the leaders; let's have all the drivers come in also and receive this brief," Colson said. "Leaders are about making missions happen, and I understand that. We're in a training environment and we want to execute the mission, but we also want to execute it safely."

Another area of concern that has drawn the attention of Colson and others in the Safety Office involves cold weather-related injuries. During training last week, as many as nine Soldiers were treated for frostbite and other injuries after temperatures plummeted. One was severe enough to warrant a medical evacuation.

"We as safety professionals, we as leaders, we have to reach out to the first-line leaders and junior officers, where the rubber meets the road," said Colson. "Those are ones that have to look after the Soldiers to keep them from getting frostbite or having cold-weather injuries."

Colson said oftentimes there is a limited number of safety officers within units to effectively train all those who need it. Whatever the injuries and accidents, he urges leaders to take an active role in ensuring everyone understands inherent dangers during training to mitigate them.

"They need to work to minimize accidents. When you have 1,500 people out training, you're going to have near-misses. There's just no way around it when you put that many Soldiers out there and say, 'Hey, let's train!' said Colson. "But if you come here with 1,500, you need to leave with 1,500."

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