Grissom's new propane cannon's have dual purpose Published Sept. 9, 2012 By Staff Sgt. Carl Berry 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- "More bang for the buck" is an old saying that booms loud and true for Grissom's two new propane cannons. Recently, the Grissom Emergency Management office acquired propane cannons, typically used to deter birds from nesting on airfields; however, the emergency managers plan to use them to simulate explosions during exercises. "The main reason we purchased the cannons is they are a lot safer than using ground burst simulators during exercises," said Daniel DeAngulo, Grissom's base emergency manager. The cannons, powered by liquid propane, are also cheaper to use than the exploding ground burst simulators, DeAnuglo added. "We like the aspect of using the cannons for base exercises, because they are more cost effective and the set-up and clean-up are simple," said Robert Wydock, Grissom's deputy emergency base manager. Although the bird cannons were purchased for exercise simulation purposes, they may be co-utilized by the base safety office for their bird aircraft strike hazard prevention program. "The BASH program was implemented to protect our aircraft and people from incidents that are caused by birds getting into the jets," said Master Sgt. Johnny Armes, 434th Air Refueling Wing ground safety manager. "We manage the airfield by using different bird determent devices and the cannons give us another useful tool to deter birds and other wildlife." Grissom is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing, the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command. Grissom's airfield, which is maintained and used primarily by the 434th ARW, is a joint-use airfield open to civilian aviation. Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
