Locating an underwater bomb might sound like a stretch, but it’s something 32 specialists from all over the country learned in Lake Murray this week.
“It’s very important, our training. In this business it’s very important because it’s not necessarily what you do every day, it’s what you’re prepare to do if you need to do it,” Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said.
“Obviously in South Carolina and then throughout the United States, we have a lot of critical infrastructure located on the coastline,” said Carl Cuneo, a special agent bomb technician with the FBI. “Part of the job of law enforcement and the FBI is to provide counter-terrorism support and protect infrastructure. To do that, because it’s on the water, we have to have trained divers.”
Divers from 15 agencies were split into teams with different objectives ranging from reconstructing an explosion site to recovering a sunken boat. Sheriff Koon says having departments of all sizes working in Lexington County is something everyone can benefit from.
“I think it makes us proud that we can work side-by-side with some of the largest agencies in the country and our people are equipped well to help them and they work hand-in-hand together so it makes us proud of our personnel but also such as we’ll be ready if the need arises,” Koon said.
Organizers called it one of the most complex training classes they’ve put on, but say it was a success that will help our men and women in uniform keep our waterways safer in the future.