FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Blistering cold temperatures didn’t stop members of the Fort Leonard Wood Garrison Safety team from lending their knowledge and expertise to the Missouri National Guard Dec. 15 during annual safety inspections of obstacle courses located at two MOGUARD camps.
The team, comprised of Breanna Anderson, Craig Reeves and Anthony Riley, traveled to Camp Clark, located in Nevada, Missouri, and then to Camp Crowder, in Neosho, Missouri.
Nine obstacles were inspected at each camp, including rappel towers, as part of an annual inspection requirement and in preparation for upcoming events set to be hosted at the locations, including an Air Assault and Rappel Master Course, Riley said.
“Each obstacle is different and has its own specific list of standards that must be met,” Riley said. “As safety personnel, we look for issues such as warping or rotting timber due to severe weathering, adequate fall protection and rope conditions, and ensure the course is maintained to an overall standard that prevents injury to personnel.”
This is the second year Fort Leonard Wood has aided Missouri’s National Guard with their annual inspection requirements.
According to 2nd Lt. Taylor DiTrolio, base operations supervisor for both camps, Camp Clark served as the training location for around 2,500 National Guard troops from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska, while Camp Crowder trained more than 3,400 National Guardsmen at its facilities in 2022.
In addition to the National Guard, the camps also host Army, Air Force and Marine Corps Reserve units, ROTC cadets from colleges throughout the region, Missouri Army National Guard officer candidates from Fort Leonard Wood, Navy and Air Force Junior ROTC units and a variety of veterans organizations, DiTrolio said.
Annual inspections are important for ensuring structural integrity and that training equipment is being maintained to standard. If they are not structurally sound or maintained correctly, the consequences could be far-reaching, Riley said.
“An obvious consequence of failing to conduct an inspection would be the inability to use the course due to structural damage,” he said. “Failure to conduct training could directly impact that unit’s mission readiness, and, if Soldiers were to negotiate an obstacle course that does not meet standards or is structurally compromised, it could lead to serious injuries that could have been prevented.”
The benefits of the inspections are just as notable, Reeves added.
“I believe we all benefit from these courses being inspected thoroughly,” he said. “Soldiers are trained in a safe, timely and efficient manner, and by identifying potential risks, so they can be quickly fixed, we are potentially taking down roadblocks that could cause them to not complete their course of training.”
Social Sharing