A 2009 Homeland Security Regional Response Grant financed a Farber Specialty Vehicles bomb response vehicle.
The vehicle’s various surveillance technologies like the Magnafire light tower with camera and night-scan allows for careful observation of crowds by police. On-board bomb detection devices like a mobile x-ray scanner, bomb detection robot, and under-vehicle surveillance system also provides police an upper hand.
Outfitted with an APD 2000, the vehicle's robot is a top-of-the-line ANDROS response device. It’s stored in the rear of the vehicle and accessed via a custom engineered hydraulic lift gate. The robot is operated by an on-board control system and programmed to take continuous air samples, testing for alpha, beta and gamma particles in the air. It sends a video signal to a custom engineered computer on the vehicle, which is capable of saving the image and transmitting it to anywhere in the world. This allows for the bomb response team to collaborate with other bomb experts, no matter where they’re located.
The vehicle’s various communication technologies such as the Tracstar satellite system, GPS, and mobile phone/Internet systems, give bomb specialists constant connectivity and support. A Columbia mobile weather system mounted on the top of the vehicle allows for accurate, up-to-the-minute, weather readings and is used for plume tracking of hazardous materials emitted from a detonation.
Some of the vehicle’s other features include five computer workstations and two 40-inch NEC LCD monitors.
The new bomb response vehicle is mounted on a Freightliner/ Mercedes M2 106 tandem axel chassis, powered bywith a 330 HP Cummins diesel engine, with a 54,000 lb. gross vehicle rating.
Pictured: The Franklin County (Ohio) Sheriff's Office Bomb Response Vehicle
