 Up, over, over, over and down. Drivers who find speed bumps annoying shouldn't pass through security checkpoint gates here.But, speed mitigation efforts may be viewed as less of a hassle if they
are perceived as a measure that may thwart possible terrorist threats. After 506th Air Expeditionary Group Antiterrorism/Force Protection
Airmen identified a vulnerability in base security, 506th Expeditionary
Civil Engineer Squadron Airmen tackled the problem by installing speed
bumps at base gates here May 22. Chief Master Sgt. Suzy Clemons, ATFP superintendent, said the new speed
bumps not only slow drivers, but increase the safety of the security
forces Airmen manning the gates—and protect more than 6,000
servicemembers deployed here. While overwatching one of several installation gates, Senior Airman
Sherry Houston, 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, deployed
from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, said she feels safer with
the new speed bumps.
"It's a deterrent for a vehicle-borne explosive device to detonate
before it reaches the internal system of the base," the Hebron, Ky.,
native said. Airman Houston also said that in the event of a
gate-runner, a person who neglects security screening at the
checkpoint, the speed bumps will slow down his vehicle and allow time
for security forces to engage him.These new speed bumps are an upgrade from traditional speed mitigation methods. Chief Clemons, a Riceville, Tenn., native deployed from Robins AFB,
Ga., said instead of laying down traditional asphalt speed bumps, the
506th ECES designed and welded a metal structure that can be used more
efficiently.  The design of the new speed bumps allows Airmen to produce them much
faster than traditional asphalt speed bumps, which have a 28-day cure
time, she said. "There is no cure time with the new design because they
are pre-made and installed into the ground," she said. "You can't just
shut a gate to a base down for 28 days."
Instead, the installation process at one of the gates took less than an hour, and the finished product is more durable. These (metal pipes) are a better permanent structure, said Tech Sgt.
Mark Gilding, 506th CES, who helped install the road obstacles. "With
vehicle traffic, the asphalt speed bumps will break apart over time." Sergeant Gilding, a Colorado Springs, Colo., native, deployed from
Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., said he felt good he's helping make a
difference in the installation's security. People bumping up and over and those "annoying" speed bumps may now
have a better appreciation for how they help keep them safe.
|
Loading comments section...
