KINGSTON, R.I. — Feb. 27, 2020 — 溏心vlog免费B站 Police Sgt. Erica Vieira recently completed the Prevention of and Response to Suicide Bombing Incidents course at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Completion of the course means that Vieira is certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to train other law enforcement personnel on the topic.
According to the course website, first responders are guided through the nine phases of a bombing Incident, particularly those carried out by suicide bombers. Students are presented with the tools to recognize a suicide bombing threat and countermeasure planning tools to prevent and/or mitigate the effects of such an attack.
The training complements her experience in search and rescue, and explosive detection. Vieira and Officer Figaro, the department鈥檚 first explosive-detecting dog, are a common site as they train in every single building on campus. Vieira says that her additional training, along with the expertise of the police department, will enhance the community鈥檚 safety.
鈥淭his was for first responders, police fire and EMTs. It gives you the history and threat of suicide bombings in the U.S.,鈥� Vieira said. 鈥淚t mainly teaches first responders what to look for in materials that can be found commonly in stores, which are called precursor chemicals. If you see an abundance of these materials in everyday settings, it should set off an alarm. If you see certain things, which could be the ingredients of a bomb, you should really pay attention to them.鈥�
The 36-hour training took place at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, a major research and training division of . The center specializes in the research, development, testing, and analysis of energetic materials for corporate and government clients. There were about 40 participants in this course from police departments from all over the country such as the LAPD, NYPD, LSP and several others.
The course emphasizes the history and nature of war and terrorism in the U.S. to help first responders better understand their underlying causes.
鈥淭hey spoke about Islamic State (IS), Al Qaeda and some of the things that they鈥檝e done and the reasons behind it; there鈥檚 a lot of history and it goes back centuries,鈥� Vieira said. 鈥淢uch of the time, the problems arise from different and competing factions in a country. In a nutshell, it鈥檚 about land, religion, property and things like that.鈥�
But she added that among all the different types of terrorism, homegrown terrorism is one of the worst because it is highly unpredictable.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 know what you don鈥檛 know,鈥� Vieira said. 鈥淲e think 鈥極h that person was really nice, I wouldn鈥檛 have expected that.鈥� You have to know your environment. You know what fits and what鈥檚 normal in your environment. If there鈥檚 something there that wasn鈥檛 there before, you have to question it.
鈥淲e went up this mountain where they had bomb techs,鈥� said Sgt. Vieira. 鈥淭hey brought us out to the site where they had set them and made them explode. We went to each station to examine what it was and how much damage it did. The second to the last day, they blew up a vehicle and a building.鈥�
On the last day of the course, she took an online live test on an IPAD with Homeland Security to earn trainer certification.
R.I. State Fire Marshal鈥檚 course
Vieira also completed the Bomb-making Materials Awareness Program through Homeland Security at the Rhode Island Fire Academy. Taught by Bruce Quinn of the Rhode Island State Fire Marshal’s Office, the course helps businesses and their employees identify and report suspicious purchases of common items, such as pool sanitizers, fertilizers, and paint removers, which can be used to make bombs.
鈥淭he instructors don鈥檛 recommend that you go and accuse the person or become confrontational, because safety is paramount,鈥� Vieira said. 鈥淚t educates the public about what to look for, what is suspicious, what鈥檚 not normal and what you should do. Pay attention! Your observations are very important, such as where this person is going, what kind of vehicle they own, when did they leave the store. All of this intelligence is vital, but it must be done without being observed by the person in question of course.鈥�
She added that since information on making bombs is easily available online, people have to be more cautious and vigilant about their environment.
鈥淟arge amounts of certain chemicals can be used to make homemade explosives and that鈥檚 really scary,鈥� Vieira said. 鈥淭he general public should be educated on what鈥檚 not normal, and question why does this person have all these things, why are there hundreds of cases of acetone being delivered to this residence, they don鈥檛 own a beauty supply store. What is going on here?鈥�
The training also elaborated on the workings of explosives, particularly IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and how they are made.
鈥淚 learned so much during these courses,鈥� Vieira said. 鈥淎nything can happen, anytime and anywhere. Just because this is a rural area doesn鈥檛 mean that it can鈥檛. This whole community is like a big family to me and I am very approachable. If people think someone is acting strange, you can tell me or report it anonymously.鈥�
Edhaya Thennarasu, an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at 溏心vlog免费B站 and Communications major, wrote this press release.