The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Bureau has hit the front page of the September/October issue of "The Detonator", the official bimonthly publication of the International Association of Bomb Disposal Technicians and Investigators.
The article, "UXO Operations in the Urban Area, the Hong Kong Happy Valley Case", covers the events on the night of February 6 this year when the Bureau tackled a 1 000-lb aircraft bomb discovered adjacent to the Sikh Temple at the junction of Stubbs Road and Queen's Road East in Happy Valley. It was the largest aircraft bomb ever found in an urban area in Hong Kong.
"There was a fair amount of International interest in the case and we were approached to contribute an article for the professional community", said Senior Bomb Disposal Officer (SBDO) Tony Chow. "It was not simply a case of showcasing our success; experience sharing is an essential element of bomb disposal. We draw on overseas units' experiences and they draw on ours. This professional sharing can make a significant contribution to our survivability and success in an operation," he explained.
SBDO Chow went on to point out that a number of operators were unfortunately killed whilst dealing with wartime Unexploded Ordnance (UXOs) overseas in recent years. A few weeks after the Happy Valley case, there was a particularly tragic reminder of the danger posed by those items when a 500-lb World War II aircraft bomb exploded in Bangkok, killing several people and injuring many more.
The article covers the technical application of the Abrasive Water Cutting System, the equipment that assists in the successful completion of the job. State-of-the-art technology is a significant advantage for dealing with those aircraft bombs but, ultimately, success relies on the strict regime of training and implementation of procedures within the Bureau, coupled with the support of other units and government departments.
"In a large operation, our standard two-man team will call for the assistance of the EOD Cadre, Emergency Unit, Police Tactical Unit, Traffic, divisional manpower, Fire Services and the public sector, all of whom will contribute to a successful outcome," said SBDO Chow.
Of particular note in the article was the contribution by Acting Station Sergeant Chan Kwong-hung (Ah Dee) during the gruelling 13-hour operation. "Working with highly motivated and trained Junior Police Officers (JPOs) is one of the main attractions of the job," said the Duty Bomb Disposal Officer, Adam Roberts, who carried out the safe procedures, " Ah Dee was simply outstanding in his support. I have had the privilege of lecturing overseas on the case recently, reflecting that the high calibre of our JPOs is an essential for our success in what was a particularly dirty, difficult and dangerous job, " he noted.
