WIRED Tradecraft – FBI Agent Explains How Bombs Are Disposed Of

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[intense nervous music]

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[explosion blasting]

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[explosion blasting]

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[explosion blasting]

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[explosion blasting]

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[Narrator] Improvised explosion devices,

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there’s now not any location customary on how that is gonna search.

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So whenever we come across a tool, it be assorted

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and we have got to make a selection the complete precautions

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famous to supply protection to ourselves.

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[Narrator] Fireplace within the outlet.

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[explosion blasting]

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My establish is John Stewart.

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I am a unit chief of the Unsafe Devices College.

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[suspenseful music] I started off

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within the United States Navy.

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I was an enlisted EOD tech for 12 years

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and then used to be employed as an FBI agent.

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My foremost mission used to be to produce make stronger

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to our pronounce and native bomb technicians.

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I’ve replied to a selection of calls.

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Those calls resulted within the discovery of protection power ordnance,

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hand grenades, improvised explosion laboratories

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the assign of us are making selfmade explosives.

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Those calls resulted in us disrupting pipe bombs.

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In the event that they wanted me to costume out in a bomb suit

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and fling to a fluctuate, I am trained and capable to complete that.

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In the event that they need me for post blast skills

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to help them procure proof,

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we’re there to help them halt that because that all

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falls within the category of bomb technician responsibilities.

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I labored a selection of cases on the realm

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terrorism facet, I spent roughly two years

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in Afghanistan working as a FBI bomb technician

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conducting post blast evaluation and evaluation of IEDs

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for the US govt.

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[explosion blasting] So if something blew up

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out in metropolis, we would fling out

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and forestall a post blast investigation,

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get better the complete diagram shall we receive,

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bring that again into a managed surroundings

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and then are trying to recreate and make a selection

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precisely how that IED functioned.

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After which I was ready to come to the Unsafe Devices College

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and switch out to be a licensed public security bomb technician.

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[explosion blasting]

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IED manner improvised explosive tool.

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By the mere duration of time, it be improvised

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and they are available in all shapes and varieties.

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They’ll need to maintain some draw of energy supply

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or some draw of approach to obtain warmth into the explosives.

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They’ll need to maintain some draw of switch.

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They’ll need to maintain some draw of container

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and they’ll need to maintain conductors

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and wires and things admire that.

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While you make a selection an x-ray of an IED,

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you are procuring for the foremost diagram.

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You are procuring for the explosive rate,

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you are procuring for the switch,

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and also you are procuring for battery energy to receive out

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whether or now not it be an IED or now not.

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There are two assorted forms of explosives.

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There are high explosives and low explosives

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and those if truth be told are in accordance with the deflagration or burn fee

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or the flexibility for the explosives

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to trade from a solid to a gaseous pronounce.

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Low explosives burn or deflagrate and high explosives

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trade from solid to a gas in microseconds.

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[explosion blasting]

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After we’re coping with IEDs,

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some in total is a low explosive or a powder,

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some is also high explosives.

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Protection power ordnance uses high explosives inner of it.

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Low explosives are customarily viewed

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in some draw of contained vessel

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admire a pipe bomb or a tension cooker.

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The tension cooker is a outmoded

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tension cooker that holds tension,

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has a low explosive in it that burns

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and because it burns the tension cooker

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contains the low explosive affect up

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until it can’t procure it anymore and then it overcomes

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the tension cooker and explodes.

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It be a mechanical explosion.

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[crowd cheering] [distant announcer talking]

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[explosion blasting]

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As you realize, the Boston bombing,

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they broken-down tension cookers in there.

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Each person who used to be ready to search around that on TV

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and quiz it via details reports witnessed what came about.

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So we had several bombs that blew up

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on the streets of Boston. [sirens blaring]

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Fellas, look for secondary devices!

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Following that event,

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there used to be an evacuation that came about.

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They eradicated the wounded.

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The bomb technicians then must fling in and forestall some

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threat overview and analyze all the pieces left to receive out

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whether or now not there’s any longer bombs within the distance.

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As you are going to be ready to contemplate there are backpacks

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and packing containers in each place the avenue,

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and so they maintain to fling and threat assess

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their contrivance via all of those applications

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to receive out if there’s any longer bombs

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that pose a doable hazard for the public.

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We categorize IEDs into three assorted classes.

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We maintain victim initiated that manner the victim

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has to complete something to fabricate it fling off.

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We maintain time, that manner in a particular amount of time

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it be gonna detonate and then we have got radio managed

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or some distance away make a selection watch over that manner but another individual

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is controlling when that tool is gonna detonate.

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An improvised explosive tool gifts

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a selection of non-public wretchedness disorders.

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Needless to claim there is a fragmentation arena that comes with it.

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The fragmentation is gonna destroy home windows,

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it be gonna penetrate skin, it be gonna wretchedness of us,

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it be gonna execute property.

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Every explosion carries a thermal enact,

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so admire a warmth wave or warmth ball

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or fire ball that comes off.

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There’s a doable for things to purchase on fire and burn

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thanks to the fireplace ball that comes off of that explosive.

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[explosion blasting]

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After which there’s what we consult with because the blast wave.

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It be the invisible wave of tension that flies out.

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[explosion blasting]

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The blast tension affects glass, it affects ear drums,

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interior organs, and things admire that.

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But we have got calculations that we exhaust to receive out

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how some distance to evacuate of us to help us to produce

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better protection from fragmentation and overpressure.

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[intense nervous music]

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The Unsafe Devices College curriculum

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used to be first and foremost developed by the Department of the Navy.

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We took the ways, programs, and procedures

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that the protection power used to be instructing their bomb techs

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when they were coping with IEDs

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and we broken-down that identical details

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to fabricate our usual curriculum again in 1971.

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The Vietnam War used to be drawing down and bomb technicians

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from the Vietnam War were coming again,

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going to work for police departments

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and performing bomb tech actions.

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This college is designed to coach

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public security law enforcement who draw now not maintain any details

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about bombs, the complete programs, ways, and procedures

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to be deployed and broken-down

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when they’re engaged on suspicious devices.

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Throughout coaching there are plenty of key areas

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we admire bomb techs to fling away right here with.

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I mediate the most attention-grabbing one is their skill

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to habits a threat overview.

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To search at something and to study up on to receive out

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in their thoughts why it be there and what’s potentially

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gonna motive it to fling off.

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You should know electronics so whenever you are inspecting

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your x-rays and also you quiz sure things within the x-ray,

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it be crucial to be ready to receive out what they’re.

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You should know pointers on how to poke a robot,

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factual if you’re going to be ready to halt it remotely.

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You should know pointers on how to make exhaust of explosives

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because many of the instruments they exhaust within the sphere

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are explosively-pushed instruments.

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So it be crucial to know pointers on how to soundly address explosives

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to load those instruments and space them and fire them.

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[explosion blasting]

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[sirens rapidly blaring]

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Bomb squads across The United States obtain bomb calls frequently.

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As soon as their dispatch receives a call,

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they manufacture a notification to the bomb squad.

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The bomb squad then goes to the scene.

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As soon as there, they meet with an on scene commander

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or the individual to blame

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and they’re making an attempt to procure some intelligence.

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What is it, the assign is it, how did it obtain there,

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how prolonged has it been there,

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al of those questions are requested.

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But another mountainous crucial section is,

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is there an evacuation that has came about?

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Have we moved the complete of us out some distance ample so if this part

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were to detonate earlier than we made it down fluctuate,

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they’d now not be wretchedness?

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As soon as all of that is taken space,

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there is a call, will we halt this remotely with robots

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or will we have got to assign someone within the bomb suit?

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If we can affect the complete actions we need with a robot,

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it be sent down fluctuate to affect x-rays.

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They’ll fire instruments off of the robot,

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they’ll halt a selection of things

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that prevents a bomb technician

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from having to obtain into a bomb suit

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and in spite of all the pieces occurring fluctuate.

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[explosion blasting] [murmuring]

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But as soon as rapidly there are instances

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when the robot is now not going to work.

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Depending on the assign the tool is at,

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hoping on the complex arena we have got,

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there’s doable for the bomb technician

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to even must obtain in a bomb suit

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and fling down and forestall the preliminary work.

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Assemble an outline of the tool,

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affect passive diagnostics,

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make a selection x-rays, and then space a disruption tool.

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As soon as that is accomplished, all americans falls again to a stable space

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and they affect an action to disrupt that kit.

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So the technique of hanging the bomb technician

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within the bomb suit is slightly easy

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alternatively it takes a selection of of us to complete it.

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So honest now they’re hanging on the trousers.

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The trousers are Kevlar and Nomex

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and they present protection to the decrease extremities.

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There’s additionally a again protector that affords very restricted

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protection to your again.

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So after the trousers are on,

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the bomb technicians will affix

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the built-in groin protector and that affords restricted

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thermal protection and ballistic protection

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He is now hanging on a balaclava.

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That helps present protection to the helmet

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and make a selection up the sweat and the bomb technician

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is performing his tasks.

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The next fragment of instruments

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that will fling on the bomb technician is the helmet.

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That is the EOD 9 helmet.

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That’s a visor that strikes up and down.

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So when the bomb tech is down fluctuate next to the tool,

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he would maintain the visor pulled down.

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The next fragment of instruments they’ll attach on is the jacket.

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It’s miles a Nomex Kevlar manufacture up.

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The mountainous shadowy plate you quiz on the entrance

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is a Kevlar defend.

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It affords most protection from fragmentation

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to the crucial organ space.

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They then tighten Velcro across the wrist of the jacket,

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offering the bomb technician dexterity

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along with his fingers whereas he’s working.

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On the left facet you are going to quiz a make a selection watch over panel.

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That make a selection watch over panel controls the fan inner of the helmet

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to help make a selection watch over physique temperature.

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It additionally helps the defend from fogging up

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and there’s lights on the helmet that the bomb tech,

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if desired, can flip on.

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Correct now they’re gonna lift the collar up,

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offering protection for the neck space

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between the outlet the assign the helmet and the jacket meet.

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So that you just are going to study about that the hands are usually now not lined.

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That’s for most dexterity.

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The bomb tech must be ready to work with instruments

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and whenever you attach gloves on him,

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it restricts his skill to make exhaust of his fingers and hands.

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[intense curious music]

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As soon as the bomb squad arrives on scene

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and they procure their intelligence,

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they maintain to receive out what draw of skill they manufacture.

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In the event that they make a selection that they maintain to connect a bomb technician

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down for time heading within the correct direction, there is a couple things

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that they maintain to complete.

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So that they’ll costume the bomb technician out within the bomb suit

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and then they wanna lumber down fluctuate

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and habits a threat overview

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and some diagnostics of that kit.

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A technique they habits diagnostics is via their imaginative and prescient.

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What is it, the assign’s it at,

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and why is it sitting the assign it be sitting?

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Subsequent part they’d halt is make a selection a x-ray of the kit.

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This machine generates x-rays that poke via the kit

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and gifts a image on a phosphorus panel.

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The bomb tech would attach the phosphorus panel

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within the again of the suspect kit and then generate some pulses

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with this to obtain an x-ray.

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They’re going to additionally bring down some instruments to complete some work

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because we make a selection to sever time heading within the correct direction.

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That’s time that a individual is standing next to the tool.

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And additionally they’ll space those after they affect their x-ray

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for a outmoded total cause shot.

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They’re going to return and manufacture the x-ray

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and if the x-ray has sure that it’s an accurate tool

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they’ll fire those instruments

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without ever having to skill the tool again.

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Right here’s a pan disruptor.

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Very total within the bomb technician world.

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It be a percussion actuated, non-electrically fired tool.

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the pan disruptor is a steel tube

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that uses shotgun cartridges.

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We are going to possess this tube fleshy of water.

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We are going to inch it on the halt.

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We are going to attach a blank shotgun shell

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into the halt of it and then we exhaust what is named a breech.

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It has a firing pin that is then projected forward

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by an explosively-pushed shockwave from shock tube.

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[Woman] Three, two, one.

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[explosion blasting]

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That contrivance, we can fire that remotely and the bomb

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technician doesn’t maintain to be wherever across the kit.

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But another tool that could be very total is a mineral water bottle.

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On the interior of this bottle is a plastic

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tube that is stuffed with C4 explosives.

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Right here’s an omnidirectional tool

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so whenever you detonate the C4,

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that water is gonna strike the kit

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and with any luck disrupt the suspect kit

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that we’re engaged on.

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This is in a position to maybe even be fired a selection of assorted programs,

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but customarily it be fired with a Primadet

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with non-electrical shock two.

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A Primadet is nothing better than a non-electrical type

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blasting cap that is curved to shock tube

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and there’s customarily an explosive wave that goes down

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and it initiates the explosives within the tube.

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Surely one of many instruments available

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to the bomb technician is a hydrojet.

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Right here’s a 32 ounce hydrojet.

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It be a directional rate,

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that manner it be stuffed with water.

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This plastic sheet inner is fashioned to fabricate a V.

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It’s probably you’ll maybe maybe presumably make a selection details sheet or sheet explosives

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and affix it to this V.

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It then goes again into the hydrojet that is stuffed with water

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and it be fired with a Primadet.

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As soon because it be fired, the projection of the explosives

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drives the water into a knife

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and cuts via suspect applications.

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[explosion blasting]

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[intense curious music]

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Since the inception of the curriculum,

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there’s been rather plenty of trade within the bomb tech community.

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Explosives are composed the identical.

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IEDs, the devices that we address,

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but for sure with computers and being ready to obtain online

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and study, the sophistication of those maintain risen.

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[mechanical whirring]

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Most considerably is our instruments that we exhaust

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to complete diagnostics and disrupt IEDs

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maintain elevated dramatically.

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[explosion blasting]

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Our x-ray programs are about a of the most attention-grabbing within the arena.

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Our disruption instruments are about a of the most attention-grabbing within the arena

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and they’re all designed to produce extra protection

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for the bomb tech whereas he’s performing those tasks,

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which in flip affords extra protection for our public.

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Usually, procedures that are trained

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right here at the Unsafe Devices College

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are employed out in our cities and states across The United States.

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It occurs frequently, the assign bomb squads

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are notified of suspicious applications.

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That occurs across The United States each day.

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There’s now not any playbook that claims, if it be this, halt this.

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Or if it be that, halt that.

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We must make exhaust of the instruments and programs that we’re taught.

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We must make exhaust of a great threat overview

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and we have started working our contrivance

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via each arena we come across.

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