Hazardous materials are a necessary part of our lives. Commodities of paint, pesticides and gasoline are transported daily through every town and city on the North American continent. The general public accepts this, and never gives a second thought to the potential hazard that exists with each load.

Explosives however, present a unique situation to emergency responders. Unlike other hazardous materials incidents... Responders cannot arrive and focus on mitigation. Explosives offer one guarantee. They will explode. Beyond that, the nature of explosives can be unpredictable. Responders cannot make any assumptions when dealing with explosives.