Texarkana residents near the fairgrounds might have heard a few blasts Thursday afternoon while Arkansas State Police demonstrated for firefighters how to identify different types of explosions and carefully investigate a post-blast scene.
Firefighters from all over Arkansas-including Van Buren, Fort Smith, Batesville, Washington County, Little Rock and several others-came to the 2016 joint conference of the Arkansas Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators and Arkansas Fire Marshals Association this week at the Four States Fairgrounds, said Stephen Johnson, Texarkana, Ark., fire marshal.
"Times are changing," Johnson said. "Firefighters and law enforcement officials need to learn how to mitigate situations because you never know while we may not be targeted we could come upon storage situations out here (in rural areas)."
Johnson said that a lab where explosives are manufactured may look similar to a methamphetamine lab and that it is important for firefighters and police to know what to do if they find themselves at a residence or storage structure where explosives or a setup for producing explosives is found.
"These places can have the appearance of meth labs, but they're not," Johnson said. "We wanted to make sure (firefighters and police) are familiarized with these particular devices, so they will call the right people when they see them."
ASP officials performed about eight to 10 explosions after a thorough lesson about miscellaneous explosives upon which firefighters may stumble.
For example, some explosives were louder, produced waves and a more resounding boom, while others did not produce as heavy of a blast.
All explosives, however, are proven to be dangerous-regardless of how loud they are. Police recommended calling ATF agents or ASP if they were to ever come upon any of the explosives shown.
Arkansas-side police had to deal with a vacant building storing explosives almost just less than two weeks ago at a vacant building on County Avenue. Cpl. Kristi Bennett, department spokeswoman, said a private citizen had a collection of relic devices from the Korean and Vietnam War eras he had been storing.
In that instance, TAPD called the ATF for assistance-exactly what the class was taught to do Thursday upon finding explosive materials.
"This helps us know what to mess with and what not to mess with," said Nathan Wadkins, of Crystal Volunteer Fire Department out of Little Rock.