While we hear about I.E.D.’s, which stands for improvised explosive devices, when it comes to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, local law enforcement wants to know as much as possible, in case those weapons start showing up here.
A powerful explosion only required ten ounces of liquid. Experts from the F.B.I. mix nitric acid and nitro methane in a Gatorade bottle. It looks like a sports drink, but you definitely don't want to drink the mixture.
The demonstration Wednesday afternoon is for bomb squad technicians, first responders, and members of the community. Sgt. Dave Gibeault of the Fresno Police Department explains the reason behind setting off explosions.
“You're not aware of it unless you see it, and then once you see how dangerous some of these things can be in combination and how simple they are to acquire and make,” said Sgt. Gibeault.
Experts who lead the training know the latest trends in I.E.D.’s overseas. They say lot of explosives can be home-made from household products.
“Everything from roadside bombs, vehicle bombs, suicide bombers, that's happening in other parts of the world. Hopefully we'll never see that in our country but we need to be prepared,” said Sgt. Gibeault.
Chuck Tobias of the Fresno Fire Department brought the HAZMAT team to the training. They're learning what chemicals to watch for to keep each other out of danger.
“Our personnel are our number one concern so training them to properly recognize the environment they're going into and then taking proper steps to ensure their safety,” said Tobias, a battalion chief.
This kind of training is the first of its kind in