On 14 June, EUFOR’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, co-ordinated by the Joint Military Affairs Countermines Section, worked together with Sarajevo’s Federation Civil Protection Agency to conduct demolition training at an approved site in the vicinity of Vares.
The training was designed to allow the EOD teams to practice the safety procedures necessary when disposing of surplus explosives. Whilst some members of the Federation Civil Protection Agency ensured no-one came onto the site, the leader of the EOD team Second Lieutenant Tomas Kobli, supported by selected members of the Federation Civil Protection Agency, chose a suitable site for the explosion, checked the electrical connections running to the explosives and then requested permission to “explode” from the safety manager.
Second Lieutenant Tomas Kobli said “It was a really useful day, not only did we destroy a quantity of explosives, but we also got to conduct some excellent training with our partners in the Federation Civil Protection agency”.
Lieutenant Colonel Horst Unterieder, EUFOR’s demining and EOD officer, who helped organise the days training said “EUFOR's EOD team, as usual did their job perfectly, although I am not surprised as they are professionals. I would like to warmly thank Mr Sead Vrana Chief of EOD Federal Civil Protection Agency. We were impressed with their professionalism and how quickly we managed to build a productive working relationship”.
