Photo By Maj. Kyle Key | Indiana State Trooper Rick Stockdale, a 14-year veteran of the Explosive Ordnance Team...... read more read more
By Pvt. Daniel Alcorn and Pvt. Christopher Angel
On Sept. 3, the bomb squad and several state police cruisers rolled up to the main academic building and carried large totes into the gym. Students were called over the loud speaker to fall into the bleachers.
When members of the Indiana State Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team are not responding to calls or scheduled sweeps, they’re training or educating the community on explosive safety and bomb squad operations.
Members of the ISP EOD Team brought along some of the equipment they use whenever they respond to calls or go out on missions. The equipment is unique, heavy and very expensive for their special line of work.
Troopers showed students a handheld X-ray machine to see what could possibly be inside a package and another device which operates like a shotgun to open packages deemed as suspicious.
Privates from the Patriot Academy got to experience the weight of the suits that the members of the team wear. The suit is extremely cumbersome and covers your entire body protecting the occupant from over-compression and shrapnel from an unexpected blast. The suit weighs approximately 87 pounds and carries a hefty price tag of $20,000. After getting a glimpse, the troopers challenged the Patriot Academy soldiers to a contest.
Pvt. Felicia Boling, Pvt. Kolbyn O’Bannon, Pvt. Corey Smith and Pvt. Cody Grasman were selected from the enthusiastic group of students. One by one, the privates were suited up and got to experience firsthand what it felt like inside the protective suit. Not only are the suits designed to keep out shrapnel, debris and fire, they are also designed to protect the occupant from concussive and deafening blasts. An ISP Trooper yelled instructions to the privates from the top of his lungs and motioned with his hands.
“Alright, when I lower my hand, I want you to run around the gym, and knock out ten pushups,” screamed the trooper. “Are you ready? Go!”
As the students inside the suits raced around the gym and performed pushups, each runner had two spotters to make sure they didn’t get into any trouble. Pfc. Grasman said the experience was draining. “I’m tired as heck!” When asked how he felt after taking off the suit, Private Smith simply said, “I’m worn out!” Later, Smith remarked that he was sore and didn’t expect to feel the after-effects of the suit.
Senior Trooper Brian Meeks said, “I have spent over an hour in one of those suits, and without water, the weight and the heat starts to wear you down.”
Indiana State Trooper Rick Stockdale, a 14-year veteran of the EOD Team, said his most memorable moments of being on the bomb squad were conducting bomb sweeps for dignitaries and high profile political campaigns. Stockdale also said they also get called to conduct bomb sweeps for special events such as the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team also works on jobs much smaller. Stockdale said his team has even picked up old ammunition at private homes.
In Indiana, there are approximately forty bomb technicians comprising four teams across the state. In 2009, the EOD team answered 278 calls where about 100 of which were legitimate threats, not just routine calls. Meeks said on normal calls, they try to keep response times under an hour.
The National Guard Patriot Academy is the U.S. Department of Defense’s first and only accredited high school for soldiers who enlist and complete basic training. Students focus on academics, military training and also conduct community service. The academy holds six graduations per academic year with the first one for 2010-11 on Sept. 23 at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Butlerville, Ind.
The ISP EOD Team said they would gladly suspend detonations during the graduation ceremony.
| Date Taken: | 09.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2010 16:59 |
| Story ID: | 55983 |
| Location: | BUTLERVILLE, IN, US |
| Web Views: | 469 |
| Downloads: | 135 |
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