Fairchild’s EOD Airmen respond to suspected UXO

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Lawrence Sena
  • 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

Airmen from the 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordnance Team responded to a call regarding possible unexploded ordnance in Moscow, Idaho, Sept. 27, 2018.

The team received the call from the Spokane County Police Department describing an object that looked similar to a land mine found near a Goodwill store in Moscow, said Staff Sgt. Andrew Roberts, 92nd CES EOD craftsman.

After receiving images from the Spokane County and Moscow City Police Departments regarding the suspicious item, the team determined that the item was actually a training aid that may have been left behind by its owner.

“We knew right away after receiving the images that it wasn’t a real mine,” said Roberts. “We knew it was a training aid, however, the appearance in color and nomenclature on the device didn’t look like any typical training aid.”

There was still a possibility of the training aid being tampered with and becoming an actual threat, which led the team to respond accordingly in working with both police departments to handle the situation.

“We have a really good relationship with the Spokane County Bomb Squad,” said Roberts. “Joint operations with the local department is great because it lets us see and learn how the other operates, allowing us to work well together in getting the job done.”

After working with local police, the team successfully removed the suspicious training aid from the area, allowing regular business operations in the local area to continue.