WEBVTT 00:04.707 --> 00:07.716 - [Kurt] Enemy combatants and improvised explosive devices 00:07.716 --> 00:10.968 are not the only threats service members have to worry about 00:10.968 --> 00:12.838 in a deployed location. 00:12.838 --> 00:16.251 Air crew must stay vigilant for birds and wild animals 00:16.251 --> 00:17.717 near the aircraft. 00:17.717 --> 00:19.424 To help alleviate the risks, 00:19.424 --> 00:22.911 the military created the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard, 00:22.911 --> 00:26.911 or BASH program, to help control local wildlife. 00:27.048 --> 00:29.925 And at the 386 Air Expeditionary Wing, 00:29.925 --> 00:31.350 it is run by two members 00:31.350 --> 00:34.350 of the US Department of Agriculture. 00:34.402 --> 00:35.825 - Everything's considered a hazard. 00:35.825 --> 00:37.404 Anything from a large flock of birds 00:37.404 --> 00:39.268 to even just rodents, because those rodents 00:39.268 --> 00:40.687 will attract larger predators 00:40.687 --> 00:42.635 that could potentially be hazardous. 00:42.635 --> 00:46.802 - [Kurt] According to safety.mil, 4089 bird strikes occurred 00:46.854 --> 00:49.771 in 2016 costing nearly $21 million. 00:51.402 --> 00:55.569 The BASH program aims to trap, relocate, or scare away birds 00:55.763 --> 00:58.870 to prevent future bird strikes with planes. 00:58.870 --> 01:00.059 - Whenever there's a bird strike, 01:00.059 --> 01:01.291 we'll collect the remains, 01:01.291 --> 01:03.380 and we send them to the Smithsonian. 01:03.380 --> 01:05.993 They use their DNA feather lab to identify 01:05.993 --> 01:07.784 what kind of bird it is. 01:07.784 --> 01:10.072 - Some of the deterrents we use are pyrotechnics, 01:10.072 --> 01:13.014 those are like glorified bottle rockers, screamers, 01:13.014 --> 01:14.554 we sometimes get in the hangar, 01:14.554 --> 01:16.667 we might have concentrations of pigeons, 01:16.667 --> 01:19.268 house sparrows, put up exclusions. 01:19.268 --> 01:21.549 - [Kurt] And there are times when they will even have 01:21.549 --> 01:23.208 to change the environment. 01:23.208 --> 01:25.887 - We do a lot of habitat modifications around here. 01:25.887 --> 01:27.716 Try to reduce the attractiveness to the airfield 01:27.716 --> 01:28.883 from wildlife. 01:28.932 --> 01:31.331 So we can naturally keep them off the airfield. 01:31.331 --> 01:32.989 - [Kurt] But bird strikes are not the only threat 01:32.989 --> 01:35.715 to service members, the etymology department 01:35.715 --> 01:38.029 in civil engineering has to take measures 01:38.029 --> 01:40.589 to control local wildlife as well. 01:40.589 --> 01:44.525 Scorpions and snakes, wild dogs, even honey badgers 01:44.525 --> 01:47.450 pose physical danger to our service members. 01:47.450 --> 01:50.495 Also flies can spread up to 65 diseases 01:50.495 --> 01:52.936 such as leishmaniasis or cholera. 01:52.936 --> 01:54.562 - Usually it's a sanitation issue. 01:54.562 --> 01:56.311 So, just food being around the area. 01:56.311 --> 01:58.911 So the key is, pretty much, is to educate the population 01:58.911 --> 02:01.716 and let 'em know that, hey, clean up your food, 02:01.716 --> 02:03.911 throw away your trash, keep it covered, 02:03.911 --> 02:07.565 it'll help control all these problems on the base. 02:07.565 --> 02:09.462 - [Kurt] Every morning, etymology makes rounds 02:09.462 --> 02:12.100 and checks traps for wild animals. 02:12.100 --> 02:15.025 The animals often run up and down the perimeter fence 02:15.025 --> 02:16.487 looking for a way in. 02:16.487 --> 02:18.030 - Damage is pretty much just digging holes 02:18.030 --> 02:21.524 in the perimeter fence, which has become a security issue. 02:21.524 --> 02:25.691 They could attack, we've had 'em fight underneath buildings. 02:26.395 --> 02:28.914 - [Kurt] Etymology, in tandem with the BASH program, 02:28.914 --> 02:31.190 fills these pits, traps birds, 02:31.190 --> 02:34.638 and relocates large animals if they are caught. 02:34.638 --> 02:36.997 They protect everyone on base to ensure 02:36.997 --> 02:40.163 that the mission can proceed as planned. 02:40.163 --> 02:42.355 386 Air Expeditionary Wing, 02:42.355 --> 02:45.113 Tech Sergeant Kurt Mintz reporting.