MONROE, N.Y. (April 16, 2008) — Bomb squad robots FRED and SLIM searched for a hand grenade, pipe bomb and a can of ammo near the fuel tank, between frame rails and below the rear axle of a Fairport Central School District school bus during a recent cooperative drill with local law enforcement. Although it was only a test, Transportation Director Peter Lawrence said he was glad to have his staff help the human bomb technicians distinguish bus parts from suspected devices.

"We were able to review the X-ray film with the technicians to help determine that a pipe pictured in the X-ray was a part of the seat structure and not a pipe bomb," Lawrence said.

Lawrence wrote to School Transportation News about last week's drills as he monitored them from the interior of a mobile command station.

"FRED (the larger bot) was fitted with more options than its little brother. FRED is equipped with a shotgun, an intercom system, X-ray head, two water cannons, several cameras and a grapple that is capable of lifting a 55-gallon drum," Lawrence wrote.

The bomb squad had planned on using SLIM, a smaller bot from Ireland, to enter the bus and look for several backpacks. While SLIM has proved capable of checking for bombs in airplanes, the bus aisles proved to be too narrow for the robot to navigate. Ultimately, bomb squad technicians donned their 95-pound bomb protective gear and filmed the interior of the bus with their portable X-ray machine. Interestingly, SLIM costs $175,000 compared to $150,000 for the larger FRED.

Practical knowledge of school buses and their parts and the building of  relationships between local agencies are critical, Lawrence wrote, especially before they're pressed into action in response to an emergency.

"While it is unlikely that life will replicate the exact drills that you practice, the positive experiences from drills like this help prepare all responders to safely react to unpredictable situations," he said.