Bomb squads compete to stay sharp

In Orangeburg, a training exercise-turned-competition helped some highly specialized law enforcement officers stay prepared.
The first-ever South Carolina Bomb Squad Olympiad took place today/Wednesday….on a property provided by Orangeburg-based business Super-Sod.These experts come from all parts of the state, says South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Captain Dave Tafaoa says that just within the state of South Carolina, there are 12 certified bomb squads that work toward Homeland Security initiatives together.
He says they teamed up with other specialists from Georgia and members of the armed forces, to fine tune their techniques by competing
“As most people know, most police officers are competitive and bomb technicians are even more competitive when it comes to sport,” says Tafaoa, “and this brings us all together and allows us to work very closely together, not only with squads from around the state, but around the country.”
He says its a chance to share techniques and practices that they have developed in the field.
Some of the events were a running a relay race wearing 70-plus pound bomb suits, maneuvering bomb robots,  and extracting a mock bomb from a vehicle. Tafaoa says the event was entirely funded by private donations and helped the teams fulfill their monthly training requirements.