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Wednesday, May 9, 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER RMI the robot is valuable member of bomb squad By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The four-member Halton Regional Police Explosives Disposal Unit could be considered a quintet if you include its robot mobile investigator, or RMI. Described by Sgt. Chris Perkins as a "workhorse," the machine pro vides officers with extra eyes and ears, it can safely manipulate suspi cious objects and even aid in res cues. "It's a pretty amazing piece of kit," says Perkins. Powered by a pair of 12-volt batteries (and two six-volt batteries in the control module to which its tethered) the Scarborough-made robot is lightweight and maneuverable and can climb curbs and even shallow stairs. A microphone and receiver allows police to give com mands (to a hostage-taker for example) or to listen in on a partic ular scene. The robot can be modified with a host of attachments, including lights and cameras. Its telescoping right arm ends with a claw which can be removed to install a variety of "attack weapon" systems designed to shred packages or dis rupt explosive devices without actually setting them off. Using a "command wire," the robot can is o lay down a weapon system then back off for remote activation. "Research and development is constandy going on to come up with new technology," said Perkins. Bomb unit diffuses explosive situations (Continued from page 1) sticks of live dynamite thrown away in a bin at the Halton Landfill Site, a bomb hoax at a Burlington furniture store, a senior who buried a grenade in his yard back in 1967 and explo sives abandoned by a farmer in the bush. The unit also destroys ammu nition seized from criminals or handed in during amnesties at least six times a year and helps train corporations in bomb threat procedures. Officers also carefully inves tigate suspect packages, one of the most notable being the five pounds of high explosive placed in a newspaper box outside a Georgetown motorcycle shop last August. Although ultimately rendered useless by Waterloo Police, Halton's explosives officers assisted in the device's recon struction. This will prove impor tant when those responsible are arrested and brought to trial. Perkins also expressed con cern about the number of bomb recipes readily available on the Internet, giving people access to information which can be used for violent ends or simply dan gerous experimentation. As strange as it sounds to lay people - who hope they never encounter a bomb - Perkins says he looks forward to testing his training. With the proliferation of biological, chemical and even nuclear weapons, however, Perkins and the others would be on the front line against threats that disturb even him. "That scares the hell out of me," he said. "There's no brava do here. I would dread having to deal with that." But cope he would, since bomb techs would be the first line of defense. After all, with most such weapons, the deadly effects are spread through an explosion. The training of officers for explosive disposal duty begins with a nine-week course taught by the RCMP at the Canadian Police College in Ottawa. Classroom learning encompass es everything from mathematics to radiography, while hands-on education includes the creation and detonation of explosive charges. To understand the dev astation a bomb can cause as well as ways to defuse them, officers must first possess inti mate knowledge of how they work. The last two weeks of the course are the most nervewracking, wherein officers play the role of the explosive tech in charge of a scene, or "Number One," in six different high-pressure, time-limited scenarios. Six more scenarios follow, in which officers assume the critical posi tion of Number Two. If an officer successfully completes the course, he or she is certified, yet every three years they must undergo two weeks additional training, including four new scenarios. As a parttime unit, the four Halton offi cers also train once a month and enroll in extra programs. These include the Post-Blast Investigator Course, which fea tures everything from evidence collection to understanding the physics of explosions. (Unit offi cers attend the scene of all explo sions, be they either criminal in nature or accidental.) Officers also often attend the Canadian Explosive Technicians Conference. Keeping in shape is also a good idea, considering the weight of bomb suits (20 min utes on a hot day is about all you can handle, says Perkins) and to help officers maintain mental alertness and deal with pressure. In the large worldwide law enforcement fraternity, explo sive disposal officers are a rela tively small community, says Perkins. Because of ongoing information sharing, retraining sessions and conferences, many of them know - and respect each other. Perkins said he and Chapman are also very proud to be guest instructors at the Canadian Police College where they teach both the basic and revalidation courses. "That speaks a lot to our department," says Perkins. Photo by Barrie Erskine Halton Regional Police Explosives Disposal Unit member Sgt. C h ris Perkins with R M I (robot mobile investigator). The claw could also be employed to deliver a phone to a hostage taker or even bring food to a barricaded individual. The left arm - which can also be used as a weapons mount - features a bracket for an x-ray machine. The six-wheel system (tracks can be added for snow) has enough torque to drag a 220-pound civilian or injured officer to safety, providing the surface is reasonably friction free. "The beauty of the Canadianmade robot is that it's totally retrofitable," said Perkins. This is especially useful for adding improved equipment or converting the machine to radio fre quency control. "RF is totally free of any limits," said Perkins. As wonderful a tool as the robot might be, Perkins says nothing replaces getting up close and per sonal with a bomb. "You don't have the dexterity with a robot that you do with your hands," he adds. Fun for the whole family on Police Day this Saturday Police Day 2001, a free, fun-filled celebra tion for the whole family, takes place Saturday, May 12 at Halton Regional Police headquarters. The day-long event (10 am . to 4 p.m.) is shaping up to be bigger and better than last year's, with the activities that are taking place both inside and outside the facility ranging from tours to a variety of games and contests - plus some top-notch entertainment. Entrance to Police Day is free, as is all enter tainment, games and events. Pay for only food and drink, the penny sale and the silent auction. Members of the Halton Regional Police Tactical and Rescue Unit will be on hand, as will the Identification Unit and Bomb Squad plus personnel from Halton Ambulance and fire services from throughout the region. Entertainment will be provided by well known children's entertainer Jack Grunsky (noon), the A1 Grose Magic Show (11:30 a.m.), Dream (11 a.m.), animated storyteller Brenda Byers (1 p.m.) and children's entertainer Paul Behnke (2 p.m.) Const. Grose is a Halton police officer as well as a magician. Dream is comprised of five accomplished singers, all of whom are teenage girls from Oakville. Note: please do not being any pets, as search dogs from the Canine Unit will be on site. Police headquarters is located at 1151 Bronte Rd., north of the QEW. There will also be an old auto show and more than 20 displays by a variety of groups. CGWiE CELEB ATE WITH US! 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