Posted on 11/16/2005 6:04:09 PM PST by SandRat
FAIRCHILD AFB, Wa., Nov. 16, 2005 — Explosive ordnance disposal personnel worked hand-in-hand with multiple federal agencies at the Grand Coulee Dam, Oct. 4 - 6, for an exercise titled "Watchful Sentinel." "The focus of the exercise was to evaluate Special Response Forces standard operation procedures, along with coordination between the Special Response Forces and supporting agencies, via a series of realistic events," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jack Burleigh, explosive ordnance disposal craftsman, 92nd Civil Engineering Squadron.
"Some of the calls we respond to involve ordnance left behind in a deceased veteran's war chest. Other times, we may be working with local law enforcement to clear an area after a crime has been committed."
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Thrower
The seven-man explosive ordnance disposal team participated in the exercise along side agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations, local law enforcement agencies and other emergency response units.
This exercise is only one example of explosive ordnance disposal's ongoing support of local, federal and international organizations.
"Wherever we're at we're involved, to some extent, with local agencies," said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Mark Thrower, explosive ordnance disposal flight chief.
Many small communities surrounding military bases across the country may not have resources available to stand-up full bomb squads and rely completely on the military to provide needed support in case of an incident.
Incidents could include anything from unexploded ordnance to homemade bombs.
"Some of the calls we respond to involve ordnance left behind in a deceased veteran's war chest," Thrower said. "Other times, we may be working with local law enforcement to clear an area after a crime has been committed."
Unless the explosive ordnance disposal technicians are deployed into a war zone, they aren't afforded any type of law enforcement rights. This basically means they're only in a situation after it has been cleared of any hostilities, and their single objective is to clear the munitions from the area.
"We never integrate our explosive ordnance disposal teams with local bomb squads because of the procedural differences, but we work very closely with them to ensure everyone's safety during the course of a mission," he said.
Safety is key for explosive ordnance disposal, whether it's their own or that of the population as a whole. Aside from emergency response missions, they also train with federal agencies - such as in "Watchful Sentinel."
"Fourteen different federal, state and local agencies from around the state of Washington were involved," Burleigh said.
Other agencies, such as the Secret Service, call upon explosive ordnance disposal to help in securing locations where "very important people" visit.
"Very important people could be the president, the vice-president, their families or even foreign dignitaries," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. David Toombs, noncommissioned officer-in-charge of explosive ordnance disposal. "Anywhere very important people go, explosive ordnance disposal is one step ahead of them securing the location."
He said that explosive ordnance disposal works with the Secret Service for approximately 40 percent of their on-duty time here.
Along with supporting the Secret Service, explosive ordnance disposal technicians are also charged with the responsibility of supporting coalition forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, and that can add up to a lot of time away from home.
"We have been helping the Army out by sending explosive ordnance disposal personnel to Iraq to assist them for six months at a time," Toombs said.
War zones aren't the only opportunities explosive ordnance disposal has to get involved with foreign organizations, when stationed or visiting countries such as England or Germany, they continue their relationships with the host countries military explosive ordnance disposal teams.
"We work closely with the host nations military explosive ordnance disposal teams," Thrower said. "It's a good opportunity to share knowledge and experience."
Other examples of shared knowledge and experience include the different training courses offered by friendly nations.
Great Britain founded explosive ordnance disposal in World War II and are the foremost experts in the improvised explosive device field, he said. They share that knowledge by opening up a few slots in their training course to U.S. military explosive ordnance disposal personnel and the selection for the slots is very competitive.
The United States is also sharing the knowledge gained by offering portions of the U.S. explosive ordnance disposal school curriculim to international students.
"Of the nine months of school our military members get, three or four of them are offered to international students," Thrower said.
As the war on terrorism changes the global security environment, many local, federal and international agencies are finding new ways to share life-saving and strategic knowledge - and Defense Department explosive ordnance disposal personnel are there, working with them.
EOD BOOM!
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BTTT
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