Made of the right stuff

3 Photos

The Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Bureau will be holding an open day on July 21 for Inspectorate officers who would like to find out more about selection and training for bomb disposal duties on the EOD Cadre. Officers will have the chance to handle EOD equipment and experience wearing what is probably the most expensive suit in the world - the bomb disposal suit. They will then be able to witness at first hand the effects of explosive devices and EOD weapons in a live-fire demonstration on the EOD range at Mount Butler. A briefing will also be given on what officers can expect on the selection tests to join the basic EOD course.

"The EOD Cadre is an important part of the Force counter terrorist response," said the Director of Operations, Mr Tang King-shing, "and officers who apply for this secondary duty have to demonstrate that they are made of the right stuff. The training course is highly professional and very demanding, so I have to admire and respect officers who are willing to give it a go."

The Senior Bomb Disposal Officer, Mr Dominic Brittain, echoed the remarks of Mr Tang on the importance of the EOD Cadre and added: "The training helps officers develop their problem solving skills and analytical powers. This benefits the officers themselves, their formations and, of course, the Force as a whole by helping maintain our counter terrorist capability."

Inspectorate officers who are interested in attending the open day should book a place by telephoning OC GR EOD on 2860-2506 by July 18. Officers interested in applying for the EOD Cadre can also obtain application forms from EOD GR.

A basic EOD Cadre course for JPOs was run in March/April this year and applications from JPOs will be invited in November for next year's JPO course. An open day for JPOs who are interested in EOD Cadre duties is planned for later this year.

The EOD robot is prepared for action