Educational Awareness - Training
Institutional Control Awareness Training |
Classroom Education
Ordnance Awareness Training
The Navy implemented a resident-focused ordnance awareness training program on Adak Island in 1998. The ordnance safety awareness training provides a brief video regarding the potential hazards of ordnance, and the procedures to follow if ordnance is encountered.
Currently, there are two versions of the ordnance awareness video, one for adults and one for children.
A DVD copy of these newly revised videos was placed in the mailbox of each Adak Island resident in late July 2003. For Adak visitors, copies of the ordnance safety awareness videos/DVDs are also available for check-out or viewing at the City of Adak offices, on the first floor of the High School. The Navy will provide educational videos to their contractors and require their review of the briefing prior to working on the island. The ordnance awareness videos are also reviewed by students at the beginning of each school year as part of their curriculum.
The Navy also has several posters that have been effective in notifying people about ordnance hazards. One poster is general in nature, using the previously discussed Aleut grandparent figures in the foreground, with Munitions in natural settings in the background, and the information concerning where more detailed materials can be obtained printed in the center. Laminated copies of these general information posters are posted at the airport, the port, the community store, the café, and by the Adak City office.
For the children, to supplement the Munitions Awareness video/DVD, a coloring book and poster was also created. These materials also use the Aleut grandparent theme of "be safe, be aware." The printed materials make use of the cartoon character, Boomer the otter, featured in the video,
delivering information about what steps to take if Munitions is discovered while playing.
For adult residents and visitors, a 12-page brochure and 4 double-sided, carabineer-clipped safety cards discuss such topics as the history of Adak, various types of munitions that were stored or handled on island, and the steps to take if Munitions is encountered. There is also an updated hiking trail map, which shows the location of established hiking trails, and has various facts about the natural flora and fauna of Adak.
For Adak residents, various imprinted items will be distributed in the summer of 2003. These items all have Munitions-related information printed on them; such as the Navy Munitions hotline number, Boomer the otter, "be safe, be aware" language, or abbreviated steps to take if Munitions is discovered (i.e. do not touch, remember location, call hotline).
The items include refrigerator magnets, coffee mugs, tri-color markers and small footballs.
The Munitions Awareness materials mentioned will be provided to island residents via their assigned post office box, or available on the information table located in the City of Adak office, on the first floor of the high school. Adak residents, members of the Adak RAB, US EPA, ADEC, and A/PIA personnel reviewed all of the aforementioned Munitions awareness materials. Munitions awareness materials will be revised over time, and new imprinted items will be distributed annually.
Institutional Control Awareness Training
The Navy has used in the past, and will continue to use, printed material and the adakupdate.com website to keep island residents informed about on-going cleanup projects. The Navy will also send out fact sheets, on an appropriate schedule, regarding island chemical and petroleum cleanup projects and summarizing pertinent field activities. An Adak Island Update fact sheet entitled "Institutional Controls and Education Plan" was released in April 2003, followed by another fact sheet entitled "Institutional Control Excavation Notification," produced in July 2003. The first document discussed the general purpose of ICs, while the second one covered the excavation notification process.
Optional Classroom Education
Public awareness can be facilitated through the classroom. In the past, the focus of the classroom education was primarily ordnance (i.e. "Blue Card" training). The City of Adak may choose to employ the same approach, when presenting the annual Munitions Awareness training. An Adak Island Ordnance Awareness Training Plan has been produced, to accompany the video/DVD. This plan briefly discusses elements of a typical, planned classroom training session. If followed, the plan would ensure that island residents and visitors receive consistent, accurate Munitions awareness training over time. Although the public generally understands the ordnance hazards within the former Adak Naval Complex, they may not have the necessary training to properly identify and avoid ordnance if encountered. A properly educated public is more likely to make correct decisions related to the safe and proper precautions to exercise around found ordnance.