AMC WEAPONS SAFETY AWARD
MR. HECTOR S. ALCAZAR
436th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, DE
By Staff Writer
MR. HECTOR S. ALCAZAR, Explosives Safety Specialist for the 436th Airlift Wing (436 AW), Dover Air Force Base, DE, has received the 2022 Air Mobility Command (AMC) Weapons Safety Award.
As the Weapons Safety Manager for the 436 AW at the Department of Defense’s largest aerial port, Alcazar expanded explosive operations flexibility and facility usage and was responsible for the safe management and delivery of over 12 million tons of hazardous munitions cargo. Through his efforts to initiate an event waiver, AMC was able to deliver a temporary increase of 313,000 pounds of Hazardous Division 1.1 explosives as military aid to allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. His risk assessment analysis facilitated three local and foreign media visits highlighting the wing’s vital role in the Russia-Ukraine War.
He coordinated blueprints and design upgrades for a $4 million project to safeguard the new explosives magazine facility and increased net explosives weight storage capabilities by 30,500 pounds.
Leading the Recovered Chemical Warfare Materiel program, he coordinated with four wing units and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and yield Explosives Analytical and Remediation Activity to allow for the safe destruction of 22 chemical weapons.
He provided expert instruction to personnel for the safe handling of munitions, all with zero Class A, B, or C mishaps in five years. The Wing’s first-ever Weapons Safety supplement he authored integrated 18 line items contributing to sustained safety for 5,900 personnel and 31 aircraft valued at $9.5 billion. As leader of the Wing’s Explosives Safety Management Program, he also compiled an extensive 177-line-item program checklist that expanded the technical knowledge of 29 Additional Duty Weapons Safety Representatives. He published quarterly newsletters promoting the Wing’s Risk Management culture, and conducted 10 annual and 36 spot inspections to mitigate risk.
Additionally, he served as the key safety advisor to 15 wing agencies and two Delaware State Police districts in active shooter exercises that benchmarked safety for Delaware public schools.