Bomb Squad & Law Enforcement Training

The PGI is pleased to offer, upon request and subject to the availability of instructors and funding, an 8-hour course on pyrotechnic device recognition and hazard mitigation. This course consists of both classroom instruction and field exercises for certified law enforcement agencies.

The course was developed by Dr. John Steinberg, co-lead instructor, and Tom Handel, co-lead instructor, during their tenure as civilian contractor instructors for the ATF and has since been taught for the NYPD Bomb Squad, NJ State Police Bomb Squad, and numerous others across the country.

The course was predicated upon the request from ATF for assistance in dealing with pyrotechnic devices, legal and homemade that cause a disproportionate percentage of injuries to law enforcement personnel unfamiliar with their behavior and risks.

The goal of the course is to provide information which will enable enforcement personnel to:

• Better assess competency of pyrotechnic operators
• Better assess safety and appropriateness of equipment
• Improve safety through knowledge of device characteristics, performance and hazards
• Understand “best practices” for safe, effective, and efficient elimination of small quantities of pyrotechnic devices
• Improve understanding of high explosives chemistry, hazards, and mitigation

Course schedule:

• 3-4 hour classroom session
• 3 hour hands on live fire in the range

The local host must supply:

• Firing system
• Blasting caps
• Det cord, preferably either/both 50 grain and 90 or 100 grain
• Blasting agent (ANFO or equivalent such as kine-stix)
• Boosters, pentolite, 90-125 gram range

PGI supplies:

• All pyrotechnic devices, shells, mortars, racks, etc.

The course has a maximum attendance capacity of 24 and open to all law enforcement jurisdictions: state, local, federal.