Safety
Weapon Surface Danger Zones
A surface danger zone (SDZ) is an area around a weapons firing range from which the
access of all military personnel and civilians is restricted due to the inherent dangers
associated with the firing of live munitions. An SDZ can include the surface (and
subsurface) of land and water, as well as the air space overhead through which
projectiles are launched. An SDZ includes the weapons firing position, the target impact
area, and a secondary buffer area, which is an additional distance where errant projectile
/ munitions fragments may land without risking harm to life or property. Surface danger
zones vary in size and shape depending on the type of weapon(s) fired, their firing
location, and the projectile trajectory.
Each of the ranges described previously in Table 3‐1 has an associated SDZ based on the
type of weapons fired at that range. For simplicity, the SDZs are initially modeled on a
2‐dimensional plane. Some of the 2‐dimensional SDZs at FMR extend outside the
installation’s boundary onto privately‐owned land. For this reason, the AZARNG has
modeled 3‐dimensional SDZs that consider the terrain around these ranges. When
terrain features on FMR are factored in, the resulting terrain‐mitigated SDZs do not
extend outside the boundary of FMR. For example, the 2‐dimensional SDZs for
.50 caliber weapons at FMR fall outside the boundary, but the 3‐dimensional
terrain‐mitigated SDZs do not. None of the terrain‐mitigated SDZs for weapons currently
used at FMR extend outside the reservation borders. The SDZs are illustrated on
Figure 3‐6.
Explosive Safety Quantity Distance Arc
Explosive Safety Quantity Distance (ESQD) arcs encompass areas where risk has been
identified based on the potential impacts of explosives or munitions being stored in a
specific location. These arcs represent the setback distance from the ordnance storage
or handling where inhabited facilities cannot be located for safety reasons. The setback
distances are based on the quantity and type of explosives or munitions at the specified
location and represent the distance from the storage facility from which the potential for
injury and damage is greatly reduced. There are ammunition supply bunkers on the
DoD‐owned portion of FMR on the west side of SR 79. The bunkers have associated
ESQD arcs based on the type and amount of munitions stored there. As illustrated on
Figure 3‐7, the ESQD arc extends almost to the edge of FMR’s boundary, but not beyond
it.
3-20
Arizona Army National Guard Profile