Inside the NYPD Bomb Squad

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Fox 5 News got an exclusive look inside the NYPD Bomb Squad's training and preparation in the Rodman's Neck section of the Bronx.

The bomb suit cops have to wear when they go in to try to dismantle an explosive device weighs about 80 pounds. Plus you have to carry tools and you have to work sometimes in a very tight, confined area. You're also working with potentially life threatening situations.

NYPD Bomb Squad officers showed me the techniques for putting on the suit. But being able to move and work on your knees is quite another. That is just one reason the members of the oldest and biggest bomb squad in the United States are unique. Lt. Mark Torre, the commanding officer, says officers have to be handy, mechanically inclined, and have some experience working with explosives, such as from being in the military or in the construction trade.

The Bomb Squad is fully staffed 24/7, 365 days a year, citywide. When not on a run or on standby at major events, the officers are training and preparing.

Heavy equipment like a state-of-the-art truck and a bomb robot were supplied to the NYPD by federal counterterrorism grants, important tools in the war on terror.

We also got a look inside the squad's canine training facility. The officers built many of the features. The EDCs -- explosive detection canines -- are another important component of the squad.