Florida Police Divers Find a Training Bomb in Low Vis Conditions
South Florida police divers and bomb squad members train in searching for underwater bombs. A small group of South Florida police divers and bomb squad technicians spent most of Friday morning at Port Everglades practicing the hazardous job skills they hope they never have to use. The teams practiced underneath a 270-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter, where a fake bomb was hidden.
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South Florida police divers and bomb squad members train in searching for underwater bombs.
If you think working with bombs is no sweat, try doing it under water, in the dark and beneath a big ship.
A small group of South Florida police divers and bomb squad technicians spent most of Friday morning at Port Everglades practicing the hazardous job skills they hope they never have to use.
It was part of a multi-agency training session led by the Department of Homeland Security designed to give divers some hands-on training in finding “parasitic” objects that may be attached to ships.
When they say “hands on,” they really mean hands on.
“The [underwater] visibility in the port was less than two feet. You have to work your way with your hands and be careful not to knock off anything from the ship,” said Broward Sheriff’s Office Chief Diver Steve Salach. “Hopefully you see it, before you bump into it.”
In addition to BSO, the divers included members of the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, Davie Police and the Miami-Dade Police Department. The teams practiced underneath a 270-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter, where a fake bomb was hidden.
The divers on Friday were given this scenario: There was a big party aboard a ship and some people jumped overboard for a swim. Officials suspected the swimmers may have planted something under the ship.
The teams then spent about an hour scanning the outside of the cutter before diving in.
The “bomb” was found within minutes.
Had it been a real device, the divers would tag the bomb, then let technicians have a crack at it.
Via sun-sentinel.com
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