BOMB SQUAD (EOD)

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad is one of the oldest specialty units in the agency and is one of the Regional Response Teams for the State of Florida. Due to our participation as a regional response team, the Bomb Squad has obtained the most modern equipment available.

The Bomb Squad has seven members. All members of the Bomb Squad are assigned to full-time duties in the agency and respond as needed. All Bomb Squad members are required to attend Hazardous Devices School at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, which is the only school in the United States for civilian law enforcement personnel.

Bomb Technicians work with other technicians from all over the country with equipment similar to the equipment that their agencies use, allowing Bomb Squads throughout the country to work with each other if needed. In addition to HDS, all certified Bomb Technicians have also been through the 160 Hour Hazardous Materials Technician course at the Florida State Fire College. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad is unique in the fact that it works closely with the Marion County Fire Service’s Hazardous Materials Team and has three members of the “Haz-mat Team” that can respond with the Bomb Squad for technical advise and assistance. 

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad responds to a variety of calls including; specific bomb threats, suspicious package/device calls, demolition and disposal of explosives, citizen demonstrations, clandestine drug labs, hazardous materials calls, “white powder” calls, and provides the squad’s robot for assistance on SWAT calls. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad also covers areas of Levy and Putnam County as their primary bomb squad and backs up all surrounding counties.