Category: EPE News

The inaugural 1st Annual Autonomous Ground Vehicle Competition was held at Deakin University in conjunction with DSTO. EPE exhibited at the VIP Day demonstrating the Dragon Runner 20 Unmanned Ground Vehicle.

EPE was proud to once again be the major sponsor of the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment (2CER) annual Summer Ball which was held on Thursday 21st November in Brisbane.

Referring to the Ball, the Commanding Officer of 2CER said “This has been another challenging year for 2CER. The transition to barracks routine and home life following back-to-back rotations to Afghanistan in 2012 has proven to be a test for our members and their families. Many of our soldiers who have been conducting our most dangerous mission in countering the threat from improvised explosive devices and mines have found it hard to adjust back to life at home. The memory of our three soldiers killed in action in Afghanistan and their more than 20 wounded comrades is a constant reminder of the sacrifice of the Regiment’s members and their families.”

EPE is proud to support this event for the soldiers.

Click here to view video of WA Police disposing of TATP – decked out in gear supplied by EPE.

Last week WA Police  searched the Leschenault Estuary near where a member of the public spotted submerged packages on Tuesday afternoon.

It is not known whether the volatile chemicals had been dumped or whether they were being stored in the water in an attempt to keep them stable.  A man apparently spotted a package while fishing off the jetty and alerted police.

Preliminary tests indicated the powder-like substance was illicit drugs.  But when the seized packages were examined more closely, they suspected the substance was something more dangerous.  TATP is a white crystalline powder and can resemble amphetamines.

Authorities realised they had not found drugs but instead a highly volatile bomb and a decision was made to destroy the powdery chemical.  A delicate operation was launched to transport the chemicals to nearby Gloucester Park, where they could be safely disposed of.

Bomb squad officers in protective suits carefully lowered the containers into five separate 2m deep holes and buried them before they were each blown up in a series of controlled explosions.

 

Police executed a search warrant at a Jason Court home in Redbank Plains about 3.20pm yesterday. During the course of the search they found a suspicious device inside a Black Nissan Skyline.

The Queensland Police bomb squad was called to the home. The bomb squad utilised a remote-controlled robot to remove the item and examine it remotely prior to conducting further tests and X-Rays.  The bomb squad dismantled the suspected pipe bomb. Photos from scene show the bomb squad using an array of detection and protective equipment supplied by EPE including EOD9 Bomb Suit and

Helmet ensemble, Revision Viper Helmet, Digital Vanguard robot, and X-Ray equipment.

 

EPE recently delivered our first 2 Talon Robot Maintenance courses for DMO.  11 Army personnel representing 5 different Units from  across Australia have completed the 4 day training.  Feedback from both courses has been extremely positive with participants particularly happy with the balance of theory and practical hands on fault finding.  Participants learn various OEM endorsed fault-finding techniques, also the correct procedures for assembly/disassembly of the ROV. This training empowers the end user to carry out the correct maintenance techniques.

EPE will continue to provide this training for DMO, which will increase serviceability and availability across the TALON ROV Fleet.

EPE is proud to announce we have received certification as operating an AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 certified Quality Management System for the provision of Counter IED,EOD, and Force Protection Solutions including Equipment, Design, Training and Consultancy Services.

The certification is formal recognition of EPE’s commitment to focusing on our customer, and consistent and continuous improvement of our processes.

EPE Equipment management is committed to:

• Identifying and meeting the needs of our customers
• Ensuring product quality through extensive quality assurance checking
• On-going staff training and development
• Operating and continually improving our Quality Management System.

This process included an extensive evaluation, setting measureable objectives and incorporating corrective and preventative actions and methods of monitoring customer satisfaction.  All members of staff have been trained on the new or updated procedures and key staff are part of the review and improvements steps. Finally, an extensive audit was carried out to enable our certification. To maintain our certification, we will undergo audits to ensure compliance and to assess initiatives for continued improvement.

Warwick Penrose, Managing Director of EPE explains ‘We believe that our decision to seek ISO 9001 Certification supports our commitment to providing dependable service and expertise to our customers to always deliver our brand promise Trusted to Protect.’

 

Be prepared for worst-case scenarios with the Commando Stretch Garment. This undergarment’s stretch fabric and unique five-piece design offers exceptional mobility and comfort in demanding situations. Its versatile design easily integrates with many types of outer garments for use in applications ranging from explosive ordnance disposal to dignitary protection. The Commando Stretch Garment is certified to meet NFPA 1994, Class 3 current edition standards for “warm zone” operations.

Features:

• Garment designed with GORE® CHEMPAK® Selectively Permeable Fabric
• GORE® G9492 gloves with GORE® CHEMPAK® Ultra Barrier Fabric
• Sleek, lightweight, breathable design can be comfortably worn under many different types of outer garments
• Breathable comfort for longer duration responses
• NFPA 1994, Class 3 current edition protection against chem-bio and domestic terrorism agents

Its versatile design enables the undergarment to be easily integrated with other equipment in a variety of ensembles for CBRN response missions such as:

• Special Operations
• Tactical force protection operations
• Covert CBRN identification and detection
• Counter-terrorism at public events
• Dignitary Protection
• Consequence management
• EOD/ CIED Operations
• Technical decontamination
• Technical search and rescue

EPE has just received a demonstration Commando suit here in Australia.  Contact Chris Panteli on for a trial.

 

The Police Bomb Squad safely conducted more controlled blasts yesterday to dispose of explosive materials from a house in Ipswich.

An explosives-laden Ipswich house, where police have conducted 18 controlled detonations in the past six days, is expected to be returned to the landlord today.

The house will be returned to Rick Hyde as police revealed one of his former tenants, 43-year-old Glen Charles Dell, has been charged with making the golf ball bomb that maimed a teenager in a Leichardt park in May.

Teenager Michael Boggan lost four fingers on his left hand and one finger on his right when he picked up the bomb he found in a park west of Brisbane.

Mr Dell has also been charged over the explosion last Thursday night that alerted police to the chemical stockpile, as well as making a homemade bomb found at an Ipswich Bunnings construction site in May.

Images show  bomb squad officer wearing EOD9 Bomb Suit  placing explosive material in the yard of a Clay St home, which was then detonated remotely by Police.

 

Queensland Police Bomb Squad were at a home in Ipswich Brisbane this week with experts working to disarm volatile bomb ingredients,  after a blast at the home on Thursday injured two men.

POLICE have detonated five lots of “highly volatile” material after two men were injured in an explosion in the home.

The incident comes just two months after the bomb squad was called to detonate a suspicious device at a Bunnings Warehouse construction site across the road from the house.

These images show Queensland Police Bomb Squad members at both incidents wearing EOD9 Bomb Suits while handling the explosives.

Broken Arrow Company Helps Investigators In Colorado Massacre

Jul 23, 2012 in New and Notable

BROKEN ARROW, Oklahoma – Oklahoma’s Own gave a helping hand in the aftermath of the Colorado movie theater Massacre.
After a gunman opened fire in the theater, shooting 71 and killing 12, law enforcement began working overtime.

Investigators used bomb-searching equipment from a Broken Arrow company to help look through the suspect’s booby trapped apartment.

The company specializes in making products for the military and law enforcement to use during risky situations.

It’s the image that’s been captured this weekend — bomb squads trying to gain access into the Colorado shooting suspect’s booby-trapped apartment.

Investigators were seen holding a pole through the suspected gunman’s window. At the end, there’s a camera that can check out what’s going on inside.”

“It’s the eyes of the operator, and it allows them to gain an advantage to look into an area without exposing themselves,” Tactical Electronics Training Support Manager Heath Arning said.

Tactical Electronics sells things like the Long Pole Search System used in Colorado, as well as unmanned helicopters equipped with cameras.

After the Colorado footage hit airways, Heath Arning said an employee notified him that their equipment was being used in the high-profile case.

“We’re proud that our products are helping those guys do their job and try to do it safely despite how tragic this was,” Arning said. “We’re happy that our products can help them do their job.”

In this case, the cameras were able to show a trip wire at the suspect’s door, which was designed to trigger an explosion.

As a retired SWAT team member, Arning says proper equipment could be the difference between life and death.

“The ability to do these types of operations with less risk to yourself, because our first mission was to complete the mission at hand and secondly, we’re going to go home at the end of the shift,” Arning said.

Tactical Electronics sells products and provides training to law enforcement agencies across the globe.

The police department in Colorado already had purchased that pole camera before the shooting happened.

See the Full Story Here: http://www.newson6.com/story/19085366/broken-arrow-company-helps-colorado-massacre-investigators

New Capabilities for EOD9 Bomb Disposal Helmet generated excellent customer comments at Eurosatory.
In Paris, Allen-Vanguard introduced new capabilities to its bomb disposal helmet to deliver enhanced operability and exploit tablet-based technology. Read the Official Media Release here.

 

TRACE International Inc. (TRACE) has successfully completed a TRACE Standard due diligence review of Zangold Pty Ltd trading as Explosive Protective Equipment. TRACE has granted Zangold Pty Ltd a certificate of membership signifying the company’s commitment to transparency in international commercial transactions.

EPE will display the TRACE Member Logo which signals our efforts to ensure commercial transparency to our customers, business partners, suppliers and other contacts.  Click here for information regarding the importance of this membership.

TRACE is a non-profit membership association that pools resources to provide practical and cost-effective anti-bribery compliance solutions for multinational companies and their commercial intermediaries (sales agents and representatives, consultants, distributors, suppliers, etc.). TRACE provides several core services and products, including: due diligence reports on commercial intermediaries; model compliance policies; an online Resource Center with foreign local law summaries, including guidelines on gifts and hospitality; in-person and online anti-bribery training; and research on corporate best practices. For multinational companies, TRACE provides a practical alternative to increasingly expensive and time-consuming corporate compliance. For commercial intermediaries, TRACE creates a bridge between them and companies doing business internationally. For more information about TRACE, please visit www.TRACEinternational.org.

This week there were 2 bomb incidents in Australia calling in the State Police Bomb Sqauds. Both incidents required wearing the EOD9 bomb suit.

In Everton Park, Brisbane the Queensland Police Explosive Ordnance Response Team were called when a suspicious package sparked fears of an explosion. It has been reported that the package was an old ammunition canister that contained a small amount of commercial grade explosive, which was found inside a backyard shed. One of EORTs Bomb Techs inspected the canister wearing the EOD9 suit.

In Melbourne this week, detectives have charged a 31-year-old man following the alleged discovery of explosives at Harbour Esplanade, Docklands. Images from Docklands show a bomb tech from Victoria Police Bomb Response Unit wearing an EOD9 suit and using an ROV to remove the explosives from a vehicle.