Team PTLA at the ready position before the start of a team shooting event.

PTLA team wins silver at national competition

Team PTLA consisted of officers David Small, Scott Rice, Jeremy Sandoval, Tim Casias, Joe Nieto and Gabe Gonzales. The team is coached by Steve Rivera, head of PTLA's firing range; the team captain is Cliff Gordon. In addition to the second-place team win, team member Scott Rice finished fifth in the competition for DOE Security Police Officer of the Year. The team from Rocky Flats earned the designation of DOE Security Team of the Year as the first-place team.

This year's competition, dubbed the "Shootout in the Smokies," was sponsored by DOE and the National Nuclear Security Administration and provided protective forces with the opportunity to vie for top honors in individual and team firearms/tactical events in a demanding and stressful competitive environment.

PTLA Team Captain Cliff Gordon makes final adjustments to his gas mask before a team event.

The competition is held in two phases. Phase I, The Individual Competition, is designed to test the competitors' knowledge of DOE policies and procedures and their individual abilities to employ security firearms in brief, tactically oriented shooting scenarios with a Glock 22 semiautomatic handgun.

Phase II consists of team events designed to test the team's ability to respond to a situation effectively and efficiently. The events in this phase are designed to test team cohesiveness, decisiveness and physical endurance as measures of team performance.

"There's more to this story than the tale of six security police officers and a supervisor who scored better than 11 of the 12 DOE security teams in a competition to test their tactical and physical abilities," said PTLA manager Jack Killeen. "In fact, this team's accomplishments are best viewed in the context of PTLA's demanding mission, especially since the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Additional posts and increased demand for programmatic work have forced security officers to increase their overtime ratio to 29 percent of the total hours worked, where 60-80 hour workweeks are normal."

Most of the teams representing other DOE sites were able to select their team membership early and provide them with anywhere from four to six weeks dedicated training and fitness conditioning in preparation for the competition. Operational demands at the Laboratory prevented the PTLA team from allowing that much time for training, according to Killeen.

Although Rivera selected the team's members in late March, the first opportunity for shooting-range time and training did not occur until May. Rivera had to find time in a packed range schedule that included semiannual weapons qualifications for the 500-person protective force, new recruit transition to semiautomatic side arms (two groups of 20 students train for 17 days per group), as well as special weapons training for the Special Response teams.

At the TA-72 Small Arms Range, Rivera and his team practiced for two and a half weeks before the DOE competition. Rivera designed unique courses that challenged his team members both physically and mentally. He made them shoot in gas masks, around corners and up hills after dragging 200-pound dummies.

PTLA Security Police Officer Jeremy Sandoval competes in the fitness event at DOE SPOTC. Photos courtesy of the DOE Nonproliferation and National Security Institute

Rivera challenged team members' ability to think through difficult tactical situations and sharpened their decisional shooting capacities by inventing unique scenarios each training day. In its spare time, the team worked on fitness training and conducted frequent reviews of DOE rules and regulations to prepare for the competition's written test.

There were other obstacles to overcome as well. Some of the team members had to be pulled away from training to support special events, convoys and programmatic work because of personnel shortages in the protective force. Rivera and his firearms instructors had to balance scheduling as well as routine facility maintenance amid a regular routine of constant day and night firing.

"Just as PTLA stepped up to plate to immediately tighten security after the tragic events in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania last year, they proved once again they are superior performers," said Killeen. "Of the 40 students in the first Glock 22 semiautomatic handgun certification class, 98 percent qualified the first time. All major programmatic work was completed on time, and Team PTLA took second place honors in the annual DOE Security Police Officer Training Competition. We can rest comfortably knowing that these security professionals are protecting Los Alamos National Laboratory day in and day out," he said.

SPOTC results can be viewed on the NNSA Web site at http://www.nnsi.doe.gov/Events/Spotc2002/ online.

-- Kevin Roark

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