Home-Made Explosives Courses-Basic in Bechyně, Czech Republic

Homemade explosives are a growing concern in recent months as we keep seeing more attacks that happen in every part of the world. Due to the availability of the precursors on the market and an easy access to them, the homemade explosives are the number one choice of many perpetrators.

Therefore, all the personnel from security forces who are the first responders and could come into contact with any type of homemade explosives, should be one step ahead of the perpetrators and should be fully aware of the threat, which different homemade explosives bring. Military personnel are not an exception.

Based on these facts, the EOD COE Training Branch organized two iterations of the Homemade Explosives Course – basic. The individual courses were performed with the assistance of Subject Matter Experts from Ammunition Testing Centre Novaky and Institute of Energetic Materials (University of Pardubice, the Czech Republic).

All course iterations were performed in the form of a mobile training team within the premises of the 15th Engineer Regiment in Bechyně. The duration of each course iteration was three days and both iterations were delivered between 3rd of April and 13th of April. A total of 36 participants were trained. Most of the participants were the members of Czech EOD units, but several students came from Military Police background.

The students were taught to recognize a homemade explosives laboratory, to recognize different groups of homemade explosives, to understand their sensitivity and performance and of course to take appropriate action after finding them. 

The homemade explosives laboratory may resemble “do it yourself” garage with all the tools and precursors, but it may resemble even a clean kitchen with common kitchen ingredients and tools for cooking or baking. Therefore, each first responder needs to have a basic knowledge of equipment, precursors and of course final homemade explosives products, to be able to identify and confirm any illicit activity.

All trainees successfully graduated and expressed satisfaction with the content and quality of the Homemade Explosives Course – basic.
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Author: 1LT Ján TARNOCI (SVK-A)