Previously edited out:
Here is a copy/paste article that was posted on the Army Safety Center Website on hot brass injuries in 2009.
Hot Brass
in the Summertime
“Put the weapon down and step away!” You usually only hear that phrase on television cop shows late at night, and if you hear it in real life, you’re probably in big trouble. But these words don’t apply only to criminal situations. Many a negligent discharge might’ve been prevented if someone had spoken up when they saw a comrade acting in an unexpected or less-than-safe manner. Such was the case in a recent negligent discharge accident.
After 30-odd pages of analysis, the local and centralized accident investigation boards came up with a recommendation for live fire ranges. When something unsafe or unexpected happens on the range, the person(s) involved should put the weapon down and step back before doing anything else. The chance for error and a negligent discharge is greatly reduced when the most dangerous object around is removed from human hands.
Before this particular accident, some Soldiers and Air Force members were training perimeter defense techniques. Two Airmen situated side by side fired their M16s over a wall at moving targets downrange. Hot brass from the left Airman’s weapon landed on the other Airman’s neck and rolled down his back. The burned Airman jerked his left hand up and pivoted his body to the left as he tried to brush away the scorching metal. However, his rifle was still in his right hand, and he didn’t remove his finger from the trigger as he turned toward the other Airman. The M16 slipped off the table support, and its falling weight applied pressure to the burned Airman’s trigger finger, causing the weapon to fire and hit the Airman to the left. He suffered extensive abdominal injuries but fortunately survived the incident.
Could this type accident happen on your range? The odds of this exact incident happening again are phenomenally small, but there’s always a chance when live ammunition is involved. Hot brass is a fact of life on live fire ranges, and it’s also a common problem in close combat and military operations in urban terrain environments. But anything from a bee sting to a lightning strike or just a good scare could cause any Soldier to react in the same manner as the Airman in this accident, regardless their operational location.
Leaders and individual Soldiers applying Composite Risk Management (CRM) to their live fire training should automatically identify negligent discharges as a primary hazard on the range. But it’s important not to discount the other events and circumstances that might result in an accident. A good resource for leaders preparing for a live fire exercise is the lessons learned from other units that have either recently completed similar training or conduct it on a regular basis. Identify what their problems were, assess your unit’s risk, and mitigate accordingly.
The unit in this accident had the required officer in charge (OIC) and range safety officer (RSO) on the range that day, as well as additional safety officers who were acting as observers/controllers (O/Cs) during the exercise. Although not a contributing factor, it’s possible the O/Cs could’ve missed an unsafe act because they were preoccupied with their controlling responsibilities. When training Soldiers or Airmen who aren’t accustomed to live fire ranges, leaders must assess their safety officers’ duties to ensure they aren’t overtasked. For units that regularly train on these ranges, leaders should assess the need for safety mechanisms above and beyond what’s usually required.
Before they take over the range, OICs and RSOs are required to attend training with their local range control, and there are several vital questions that must be asked during this interaction. What are the steps for medical evacuation? What is the fastest and safest route to the nearest treatment facility? How will range control assist the unit with evacuation operations? These are important issues that must be discussed and planned for before the first shot is fired. When an accident or other injury occurs isn’t the time to figure out the actual execution of a medical evacuation.
It’s as simple as this: Put some thought into planning your next training event. CRM isn’t just a paper drill for the operations order. Rather, it’s a tool to help leaders identify how their Soldiers are at risk and how they plan to mitigate it. Visit the U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center’s Web site at
https://crc.army.mil to find out more about CRM and how you can Own the Edge both on and off the range.
Comments regarding this article may be directed to the USACRC Help Desk at (334) 255-1390, DSN 558-1390, or by e-mail at
[email protected]. The Accident Investigation Division may be reached through USACRC Operations at (334) 255-3410, DSN 558-3410, or by e-mail at
[email protected].
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I am aware of other military range shootings where personnel got hot brass down their neck and in their involuntary responses turned and shot someone on the next firing point by accident.
I talked to one guy who was pulled off the line and directed to apply a wound pack to a sucking chest wound of another soldier who had just been accidentally shot as a result of getting hot brass down his neck. He got this order as he was the only one in the company slated to go to medic school and at the time he knew nothing of medical procedures.
- He said the worst part was the shooter and the shootee grew up next door to each other and had joined the Army together as lifetime buddies. The shooter was given a immediate discharge and sent home and the body of his best friend was sent home as well.
And:
He said the worst part was the shooter and the shootee grew up next door to each other and had joined the Army together as lifetime buddies. The shooter was given a immediate discharge and sent home and the body of his best friend was sent home as well.
Have not been able to get it confirmed but a Sergeant told me a number of years ago there was mass shooting on a range at Camp Humphries, Korea and five were shot but he could never find out the details.
Talked to another retired criminal investigator who told me he was on a ready line out at Ft. Riley, Kansas when he was young and they were zeroing rifles from prone position at 25 yards and all of a sudden this kid start screaming and they turned and watched this kid wreathing around screaming on the ground with his rifle and before a RO could get to him he pulled the trigger and shot the guy TO HIS LEFT.
I know from testing brass being ejected from a AR hits about 171 deg F about five feet from the ejection port. Third degree burns occur at 155 Deg F thusly when this caliber brass is in your neck you are being branded so to speak which explains the multiple stories one reads about with guys saying they have permanent scars on neck etc.
I remember one day before going to work for the gov't(about 40 years ago) I was shooting my first generation AR from the hip LEFT HANDED and fired three fast shots followed by this searing pain. I had no shirt on and when I looked down all three cases were sticking to my stomach and I had third degree burns. My rifle ejected towards 5:00. When I brushed the brass away they took meat with them and that made it worse.
It took I guess 25 years for them to go away. Even at that time I had about twelve years experience in competition and honestly I cannot say for sure where the muzzle went or if I pulled the trigger again as there was only three rounds in mag and I was by myself.
From that day on I became very interested in where hot brass was going from not only my rifles but from others.
One day at Camp Perry we were shooting 300 rapid and Col Sid Hines was on my left and his scorer had set up his scope on his right and had been sitting on his stool. When we got the command to rise/load etc the scorer stepped to the rear so he could observe the rifle and the target to confirm alibis etc. While I was reloading my Mod 70 I was hearing metallic clinks and looked over and his brass (from M14) was hitting the scope stand and going off in different directions and several of them had been redirected towards me. I reloaded and as I rolled back into the rifle a hot one rolled up under the family jewels and that got uncomfortable real quick. I got my sixth shot off from a somewhat unorthodox position and had to stop and move the hot case and shoot the last four in a hurry. I could not believe it but I came up with a clean. That set up with the scope stand being at the exact place would probably take thousands of tries to duplicate.
(Original article paragraphed by Art for readability.)
