Customer Reviews

Bomb Squads (Motorbooks Power)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like most Motorbooks, this book is not the definitive "bible" about the bomb squad. It is a great combination of information about the people, training, equipment, and units that make up the United States' various bomb squads from military to police to government.

The book is entirely U.S. There is no information on foreign bomb squads.

Covered in this book are bomb squads of the US Capitol Police, ATF, FBI, Secret Service, Montgomery County, NEST (US anti-nuclear terrorism), Biological and Chemical Response, and Military Explosive Ordnance Disposal.

The book has a few famous and lesser know bomb stories to tell but mostly the book covers the training, equipment, and resources used by the above bomb squads.

A section about bomb-sniffing dogs and robots is very informative and interesting and how these dogs are trained and how the different US Government Law Enforcement agencies use different dogs, dog training, and bomb robots.

Not covered in-depth are policies and procedures, operations, methods, and various approaches to dismantling bombs, obviously for security reasons. I found it didn't really detract from the book but some equipment and areas do get a brief "gloss over" such as this is a XYZ detector and does this. But the reader may wonder if it works and how well or is just an expensive toy that needs ABC detector to scan this other area.

The author does stress pros and cons of what does and doesn't work, such as devices, dogs, bomb suits and the like. Great info and insight. The top-secret stuff is more vague as to its effectiveness.

Also covered are bomb vehicles and bomb container trailers used but there isn't a lot of photos on them or of their interior for obvious security reasons. I did find the information a very good overview.

I found this book insightful and interesting as a first-hand primer. I strongly recommend buying it before anyone buys a book on Bomb Squad stories. It'll help the reader understand the units and equipment used.

This book is a wonderful initial look into Explosive Ordnance Disposal or Public Safety Bomb Technician work. I would highly recommend this book for a younger reader, or a person who could appreciate the photography, some of which aren't found anywhere else.
This book would also be good for media or executive - types who need a basic working knowledge of what goes on, but not at a technical operations level. This book is basically a VIP tour of a typical Hazardous Devices Unit. Mr. Tomajczyk REALLY did his homework.

This book is small, but packed with information. It has the background, terminology, and day-to-day details that are extremely helpful to writers (like me). At the same time, it doesn't get so heavy into details that it's difficult to read. The only drawback is that it was written pre-911. I hope the author writes an updated version to show us how things have changed since that day. The book is 128 pages, if you count the Index. There is a glossary of terms as well, which I found extremely helpful. Pictures show basic protective gear and bomb tech tools - again, very helpful. I would definitely recommend this book to an author looking for some basic information about bomb techs.

This book is a real eye-opener to the world of the people whose job is to defuse bombs. It is not one for the faint of heart or impatient. You are given a brief description of some of the basic strategies and equipment members of the bomb squad use when confronted with a potentially explosive device. I found it fascinating to learn some of the techniques that they follow. Of course, no specific details regarding how to make bombs are revealed.
Nevertheless, this is one of those books that keep you fascinated as you also learn some details of the most celebrated bombing events in the United States. After 9/11 the focus is on international terrorists, but the reality is that bombs are being safely handled nearly every day in this country. And none of the bomb makers is a member of any international terrorist organization.

Book is very nice, but be prepared for a very small book for the price.
I have now bought three books from this author and all the books cost me a small fortune,but my husband is a Capt. on our city's fire dept and also on the bomb squad so he collects these things. There are very few pages in this book and they are more like the children's "Golden Books" thats how small the book is. When paying over 20.00 some dollars for the books I was expecting a much bigger book for my dollar. Just be aware of what your getting. If its worth it for you, then the money is not an issue.

Again for me my husband collects them, but I thing if he knew how much I paid for them he would even be disappointed.

Added note: I would say the ages for this book would be eight years on up????

If you want to enter the the world of bomb disposal from the technician's point of view, then this book is for you. Although due to security matters, most things have been ommitted, it's still a very good read, into the tallents of the guys who help save people's lives when bombs are involved. Get it now, or miss out.

Considering the fact that the world's busiest and best bomb squads were never even mentioned or covered in this book (New York, Israel Police, British Army Northern Ireland, Spanish EOD squads, French Police demolitions units, and German bomb techs), this coverage is missing the "big bang!"