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Bomb Disposal



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Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:41 pm
rolf18 says...



So I need to know the process and response for bomb disposal would be.
This takes place in a modern day setting (well, maybe a couple of years into the future, but not enough to make much of a difference) and eight large bombs of unknown type appear in Washington D.C., near the White House, Capitol Building, IMF bank, Secret Service HQ, FBI HQ, Homeland Security HQ, the Metro Center, and the The Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Each of the bombs has a digital readout issuing a statement saying that it will go off in a set amount of time and release an unknown deadly virus onto the city. The bombs are designed to generate as much mass hysteria and fear as possible. I know that the FBI, Fire Department, ATF, CDC, D.C. police, the Army's 20th Support Command (CBRNE), and the Marine's Chemical Biological Incident Response Force. But how would they go about finding what virus the bomb holds, how to defuse it, evacuating people, etc. Who would coordinate everything? Does D.C. have some kind of plan in place for something like this?
  





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Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:59 pm
Jas says...



I'm not sure what would really happen but this would be me in that situation:


"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. WE ALL GONNA DIE."

*flees*


So. I'd be useless. XD
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Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:46 pm
Firearris says...



Jasmine -- Well then. I'll be sure to call a bomb squad instead of you, if I ever need a bomb disposed of. O_o

Anyways, Rolf! I get the feeling they'd get several technicians, scientists and obviously a bomb squad (or a few) to work on the bomb and try to find a way to safely disarm it without causing it to go off sooner. If you haven't looked yet, it might be useful to try to use Google or Wikipedia to find some possible legitimate information on this. I'd suggest the article below. ^^

Good luck, and hope this helps at least some! xD

--Heather

Spoiler! :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomb_disposal
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Tue Mar 22, 2011 12:40 am
Kale says...



I'm not sure about the defusing part, but to identify the virus, they would extract the virus in a clean room environment, with the scientists fully suited and only allowed to work for minutes at a time. Looking up the protocols for handling Ebola is a good idea as that is THE nastiest virus to encounter, and the protocols for handling anything even suspected of being Ebola are extremely strict.

This article gives a decent overview of Ebola and some basic virology: http://www.zkea.com/archives/archive02006.html

You can get a basic handle on biosafety levels here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level

Ebola is Level 4.

The CDC also has a manual for handling protocols: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpa ... directions

Research protocols are slightly different, but that should give you a general idea.

As far as actual identification of the virus, they would likely use a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). You basically coat a sample with a metal that is highly conductive (gold is common) and place it in a vacuum chamber. That vacuum chamber is connected to a control panel with display, a source of inert gas, and a source of electrons. The electrons are then basically thrown at the sample, and sensors inside the chamber process the information, showing an image on the display. You can then modify things like how many electrons you're beaming onto the sample, the contrast of the image, image scale, the angle of view, etc. to get a better image of the sample, which you can then take a picture of.

Each virus family has a very distinct shape that is easily identified just by looking at it in an SEM image. Things get a bit more tricky when it comes to identifying individual viruses within families, and in those cases, looking at the genome of the virus is sometimes the only way to definitively know which virus you have. There are various tests to look at genetic information, such as PCR (Polymerase Chain-Reaction) and gel electrophoresis, which are often used.

The best way to get information, though, would be to interview a virologist and a bomb squad crew. They're the folks with the experience, and getting the facts from the experts is usually your best bet for accuracy. :)
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