ARANSAS PASS, Texas - Law enforcement officers always run toward danger.
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports on Wednesday they recorded video and stared in awe as several types of explosives were ignited at the McCampbell-Porter Airport in Aransas Pass.
Agents and officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the Corpus Christi Police Department Bomb Squad and Houston Police Department Bomb Squad ignited explosives as part of an Explosives Awareness and Recognition Training, said Mark Wilson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge.
The training was designed to educate first responders on the different types of explosives, Wilson said. An ATF certified explosives specialist is typically called to investigate after an explosive device is detonated, Wilson said.
"Between oil field explosives, IEDs they might encounter, old World War II relics. There's a lot more explosives out there than you realize, and a first responder needs to know what they're seeing and what they're going to encounter and how to react to it," Wilson said.
The training consisted of classroom sessions and live demonstrations.
As explosives were detonated, first responders were prompted to notice colors of smoke, sounds and movement explosives made.
"They need to know what they're seeing at a traffic stop or during a search warrant," Wilson said. "They need to see how dangerous it is."
Fifteen explosives were detonated, some of which included dynamite, C4, molotov cocktails and homemade explosives.
First responders from the Kingsville and Corpus Christi police departments, Nueces and Kleberg county sheriff's offices, the Port of Corpus Christi, Naval Air Station-Corpus Christi, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI participated in the training.