In film and TV there’s always tension built up as the hero makes a decision on which which wire to cut; the blue. No, the red .. No .. orange ..
Why can’t you simply make a bomb safe by separating the detonator from the explosive?
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Take this with a grain of salt, I’m not EOD, just worked with them and Route Clearance a time or three.
Technically. Yes, you could render the bomb “safe” by physically removing the blasting cap or fuse assembly. (Which is what I assume you mean by “detonator”)
Now, doing so prevents the device from triggering as intended, but you still have a device made of questionable explosive material and at questionable levels of sensitivity. It could still very well detonate just from handling, or static discharge if you touch it, or, ad other Redditors have mentioned, the triggering device you pulled could’ve been a decoy or there could be a backup device or fail-deadly circuit.
It’s also entirely probable the device is being observed by a trigger man who would attempt to detonate the device when a technician approaches to tamper with it.
All this and more is why, in my experience, EOD techs are inclined to simply detonate the device in-place with a charge of their own. If this cannot be done safely, they will approach with an armored vehicle employing “smart” radio frequency jamming, reach out with a remote controlled arm, sever any observed command wires, and unearth the device before driving a safe distance away holding it in the claw.
After which they will place the device down, prime it with a charge, and back away before detonating it.
This is not a one-size-fits-all solution, EOD techs and Route Clearance personnel have numerous tools in their inventory, so different situations will call for different approaches. But I can say with certainty the scene of a tech leaned over a bomb sweating which wire to cut is almost universally bullshit.
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