Home Made Explosives – Identify, Process, Dispose Course 2023

IAW bilateral agreement between NATO EOD COE and ATF,  from 06 FEB to 10 FEB 2023 three members of the EOD COE E&TD participated at the  Homemade Explosives – Identify, Process, Dispose (IPD) course, at the National Centre for Explosives Training and Research, Huntsville, Alabama, USA. 
Two NATO EOD COE instructors, MSGT Stanislav MACURA and SFC Roman LAMPARSKY supported the HME IPD course as an assistant instructor, who at the same time updated their knowledge in favour of EOD COE delivered HME education.
To increase the level of 2LT Katarina LICHVARCIKOVA knowledge, the third member of the EOD COE team used the opportunity to join the HME IPD course as a regular student.  
The HME IPD course provides operator-level training for the identification of precursor chemical and manufacturing equipment, processing techniques, along with safe handling, mitigation and disposal of hazardous HME mixtures. 

The course delivers lectures, approved hands-on laboratory classes, practical exercises, explosives range demonstrations, and disposal practice to enhance student knowledge. It is a week-long residential type of training, which consists of theory and practice. It covers the following topics:

1.    Recognition and identification of precursors used in the manufacture of HMEs.
2.    Association of precursors with respective homemade explosives.
3.    Identification and mitigation of hazards posed by precursors, partially mixed or finished HMEs.
4.    Safe sampling and testing techniques of HMEs or precursors.
5.    Evidence collection and scene processing.
6.    Remote methods of removal and safe disposal of HME hazard.
 
Author: MSGT Stanislav MACURA, (SVK-A)
Photo: photo archive