Guam – An innocent action on the dumpster diver’s part turned explosive when he fished out what appeared to be a bomb at Agat Marina earlier this year. In response to the incident, the Guam Fire Department said they are implementing new procedures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future
Dan Stone, GFD Chief, said the device in question was actually utilized in a training evolution awhile back it was then used as a gag gift at a private Christmas party as a result of that obviously as you already stated I instituted a new policy.”
While the bomb turned out to be fake and nothing more than a training device, the discovery did blow a hole in the fire department’s handling and disposal procedures.
Stone said that this prompted the department to review their operating procedures and make the necessary changes to ensure the incident does not happen again.
The changes include the proper handling and disposal of any of GFD training aides as well as ensuring that each training device is conspicuously mark it so that there is no doubt whether or not it is a training aide.
“If it does not have any future application then yes it will be properly disposed of if we have to dismantle destroy or whatever the case will be that’s what will happen. However if its something we can utilize in our inventory it will be properly cataloged in inventory and will be accounted for,” Stone.
Stone said, “GFD’s internal investigation shows that the device was disposed of in a plastic trash bag and placed in the dumpster but was fished out of the garbage can by a dumpster diver who knew the device was fake. But the experience was not all negative.”
Stone added, “You could not have asked for a more text book response. Two of the firefighters that actually made the discovery – they did exactly how they were trained. Then all of the proper notifications were made and then all the response coming together and the collaboration at the event was definitely text book.”
