Louisiana was one of first states in the U.S. to create an explosive control unit and regulate explosive materials, according to State Police Captain Chris Adams, Winnfield native and head of the State Police Emergency Services Unit. We have strived to be ahead of all the other states in protecting citizens from hazardous materials ever since. Captain Adams, who has been with the Louisiana State Police for 22 years, spoke to the Winnfield Rotary Club about his unit and its duties on June 5, 2024, at the request of his dad and Rotarian of the Day, Delane Adams.
The State Police Explosives Control Unit was created 1971 to put a single state agency in charge of regulating explosives due to both the ongoing tension in the oil industry of Louisiana and also as the result of the Louisiana Senate Chamber Bombing in April 1970. Around the same time, the U.S. Army opened its Hazardous Devices School to train personnel from law enforcement entities around the country as public safety bomb technicians including those of the Louisiana State Police. Then in 1982 came the Livingston train derailment disaster in which rail cars containing various hazardous materials left the rails, many of which were breached or punctured, spilling contents and resulting in fires, smoke and toxic materials being released into the air. The LSP Explosives Control Unit became the Emergency Services Unit and the control and containment of hazardous materials included in its duties. This was deemed important in Louisiana because of the widespread use, manufacture and transportation of hazardous chemicals in the state.
Captain Adams’s unit has 29 commissioned officers, 16 certified bomb technicians, 11 civilian staff and five explosives canines. It has explosives robots which will soon be replaced with the latest models or updated with the latest options available. These relieve humans of the need to go into potentially explosive situations. The unit is also in the process of updating its fleet of drones with the newest technology such as remote temperature readings.
In addition to enforcing regulations on hazardous materials and conducting background checks on individuals applying for and explosives licenses, the unit conducts approximately 2-300 explosive sweeps a year, patrols at events involving large gatherings of people and serves as the on-the-scene commander of all incidents involving hazardous materials. The unit also has a hazardous materials training program that provides training for approximately 1300 first responders annually at no cost to their respective agencies.
Captain Adams described several incidents in which his unit has participated, including remediation of illegally stored explosives discovered at a private facility within Camp Minden in Webster Parish in 2012. In that instance, a private company had stored a large amount of explosives on the property in a manner that violated regulations requiring such materials to be segregated and stored away properly. ESU remained on site for the six months required to safely and properly store away of all the improperly stored explosives.
Captain Adams is constantly learning about the fields in which his unit works—firefighting, for example—so he can communicate well with his counterparts. He also challenges his team members to learn more and get more training every day to do their jobs better and to anticipate the safety hazards of the future. More information on LSP and its Emergency Services Unit can be found at www.lsp.org.