EDF and Rescue Board clear military training area of unexploded ordnance
The first joint exercise between the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) and the Rescue Board (Päästeamet) ends Thursday at the army's central polygon training ground, with the last task involving collecting unexploded ordnance and safely disposing of it on site. This makes future exercises there safer.
"For the first time, we have convened a cooperation exercise involving specialists from the EDF training fields service, the 1st Infantry Brigade pioneers and, mine clearing personnel, as well as the Rescue Board's bomb disposal squads, from across Estonia," said Maj. Joonas Jürisaar, commander of the support command training field service, speaking on ETV's morning news bulletin.
"Three hundred and fifty hectares have been combed, almost twenty tons of explosive remnants have been found, and dozens of unexploded ordnance have been found and rendered safe," added Lt. Andres Pajur, commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade's Pioneer Battalion mine clearing detachment.
"For certain, the placement of targets for indirect firearms will also become significantly safer, the natural environment has been cleaned up, and specialists will get smarter with experience. At the same time, the target area remains a high-risk area and closed to the public," added Lt. Pajur.
Jaak Janno, the head of the Rescue Board's Lääne-Viru County district, expressed satisfaction with the EDF having made the area safer, thanks to a route network completed this year, one which was used within the cooperation exercise.
Around 50 personnel have been taking part in the cooperation exercise, which started on Monday and ends Thursday.
The original news report (in Estonian) is here.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
