REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (WHNT) — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) brings trainees from across the country and instructs them on blast scene investigation.
An ATF Post Blast Investigative Techniques class begins with a controlled explosion. Then, students are brought in to identify the components used to blow up cars.
“They are able to take those components and to submit it to the lab, and then, the lab will be able to produce the evidence to show them what explosive was used,” said ATF Post Blast Investigative Techniques Program Manager Brian Taylor. “That helps them build their case.”
Taylor said that the process mimics the investigative process that would take place during a real bomb scenario. Each car was set with different explosives, so the mock crime scenes had unique characteristics.
“It makes us think a little bit,” said Redstone Arsenal Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Michael Statton. “It’s a different way of looking at things and understand how these guys, the ATF, is working on these devices and incidents.”
Several of the 27 students taking part in Thursday’s program came from local agencies, like the Redstone Arsenal Fire Department.
“This just gives us a better idea of what might be in place,” said Redstone Arsenal Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Fair.
Fair said his department does not always know what type of scene they are responding to, and if they see something similar to the demonstrated explosions, they want to be able to identify possible hazards.
Regardless of the field participants come from, the ATF wants them to take home investigative techniques and be able to apply them in an emergency.
“Their training gives them something to look back on with the material that we provide them,” Taylor said.
Throughout the year, the ATF will train about 600 people in post-blast investigative techniques.
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