Bomb Squads Are Left Lacking

Multiple Attacks Would Reveal Equipment Gaps

Many local bomb squads in the Washington area are under-equipped to respond to the kind of simultaneous attacks being attempted by terrorists around the world, most recently in London, officials say.

None of the eight local and state bomb squads in the region is top-rated under the classification of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the local officials. The region has asked the Department of Homeland Security for $8 million to bring them to the highest level.

Some officials said the lack of top-level status isn't critical. In an emergency, local squads would get help from explosives experts from the area's military bases or federal agencies including the FBI and U.S. Capitol Police, they said.

But some first responders worry that federal agencies might be tied up with their own responsibilities during a crisis or could face such complications as gridlocked traffic, particularly if there is an attack in the suburbs.

"We don't want to create a false sense of security for residents," said Keith Brower, head of the bomb-squad committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. "The bomb squads don't have what they need to handle multiple events or provide the top-line services we need in this day and age."

The D.C. area has a Virginia state bomb squad plus units in the District, the Metro system and in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Some are part of fire departments, while others belong to police departments.

They are all considered Type 2 on FEMA's three-level classification system, said Brower, who is also Loudoun's fire marshal. That means the squads are well-equipped, with at least two bomb-response teams each.

A Type 1 squad is superior in that it can respond to simultaneous attacks and has more sophisticated equipment, such as a robot that can handle car bombs and advanced monitors for weapons of mass destruction.

Because of national security concerns, FEMA does not disclose how many cities have Type 1 bomb squads, said a spokesman, Aaron Walker. But the other five cities considered top U.S. terrorism targets -- New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco -- all have Type 1 bomb squads, according to their media offices.

Squads in the Washington area vary in how close they come to Type 1 status, with some lacking only a few pieces of equipment.

For example, the Fairfax police unit needs a video-communications system linking it to other bomb squads, said spokeswoman Mary Ann Jennings. The D.C. police squad lacks equipment to handle a large truck or car bomb, said Lt. Steven Sund, of the homeland security division.

Other squads have bigger gaps -- needing more robots, containment devices and sophisticated bomb-sniffing dogs, officials said.