The ESF and the deactivation of past bombs

More than 80 years have passed since the end of the civil war and yet, today, bombs that were dropped at the time, which remained dormant, unexploded, continue to appear all over Spain. Explosive devices from the past which the bomb squad of the State Security Forces are confronting, risking their lives.

The Specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians (Tedax) of the Guardia Civil and the National Police, created in the 70s of the last century, deal with the deactivation of projectiles from a past conflict, preventing them from causing misfortune in the present. This is a fundamental job in saving lives, which often goes unnoticed, and in which important historical data is also gathered on the place where the bombs were dropped and their type.

The chief inspector of the National Police's Central Explosives Disposal Unit, Francisco Javier Hernández Ortega, and the Guardia Civil's Tedax Brigade, Ángel Carlos Rodríguez Martínez, will share with those attending the conference their work in relation to the deactivation of original bombs from the civil war that have been found today.

Francisco Javier Hernández Ortega

He joined the police force in the 1980s, motivated by his vocation for public service and the search for job stability. After overcoming some really difficult initial years, he confesses that he currently enjoys a lot of his work. The fact of directing his career towards TEDAX was a natural process that responded to personal expectations, as TEDAX NRBQ is a Technical Unit that allows and facilitates, due to its peculiarities, certain quotas of autonomy in the work, and all the opportunities for improvement in operational development. Although TEDAX NRBQ of the National Police remains without doubt a reference within the police force, it was in the 80s and 90s when its work became essential due to its one hundred percent involvement in a fight to reduce freedoms due to terrorist pressure.

Ángel Carlos Rodríguez Martínez

He is a Brigade member of the Guardia Civil and Chief Instructor at the CADEX in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training Centre of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal and CBRN Defence Service. He has extensive training in the field of explosive ordnance disposal, having completed courses such as TEDAX Guardia Civil, TEDAX-NRBQ, NBQ Risk for FAS/FCSE personnel, Pedagogical Skills, NBQ Threat Laboratory, Information Development and NRBQ Specialist Level 3.