SHERIFF.US

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office Hazardous Devices Unit (Bomb Squad) consists of four Bomb Technicians. Three members are from the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office & one is from the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office. The unit is tasked with responding to calls involving IED’s, suspicious items, explosive substances, and military ordnance as well as storing and disposing of seized fireworks and old ammunition. The unit’s primary response area includes Chautauqua County, Cattaraugus County and Allegheny County and they may be called to assist other bomb squads in the region for large scale incidents. As is the case with most bomb squads in the United States, members of the Chautauqua County Squad perform their duties in addition to their primary duties of patrol, investigator, etc. There are currently 469 accredited bomb squads in the United States, employing approximately 3,000 Bomb Technicians.  All members of accredited bomb squads must be a Hazardous Materials Technician before attending the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The Hazardous Devices School is an intense six week long school that covers all aspects of the Bomb Technician profession including demolition procedures, x-ray interpretation, robot operation, basic DC electricity, and methods for defeating and disposing of devices.