Grant Programs Directorate 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
Washington, DC 20472 


Grant Programs Directorate Information Bulletin 
No. 287, April 11, 2008 


TO: All State Administrative Agency Heads 

All State Administrative Agency Points of Contact 

All Core City/Core County Points of Contact 

All State Homeland Security Directors 

All State Emergency Management Agency Directors 

Transit Security Chiefs 

FROM: W. Ross Ashley, III 

 Assistant Administrator 

 Grant Programs Directorate 

Federal Emergency Management Agency 

 Charlie Payne 
Chief 
Office for Bombing Prevention 
National Protection and Programs Directorate 


SUBJECT: Using Grant Funds to purchase Robots and Remotely Operated Vehicles 

A recent review of public safety bomb squad equipment information managed by the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Bomb Data Center (BDC) has revealed that several state and local 
agencies that operate bomb squads do not possess a remote operated vehicle (robot) for use in 
responding to and mitigating incidents involving Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). 

The National Guidelines for Bomb Technicians, promulgated by the National Bomb Squad 
Commanders Advisory Board (NBSCAB) and enforced by the FBI BDC, require that: 
“Beginning April 1, 2009, each existing accredited bomb squad must have at least one remotely 
operated vehicle (robot), as defined in 7.1.2.5 [National Guidelines for Bomb Technicians], 
within their inventory in order to be approved for re-accreditation, which is required every five 
years”. Failure of agencies to obtain and maintain a robot within the bomb squad equipment 
inventory will affect that agency’s ability to maintain National Accreditation Standards. 

The nation’s intelligence services agree that terrorist use of IEDs is the most likely threat facing 
the homeland. Terrorists around the world have repeatedly shown that IEDs are both easy to use 
and destructive. And while constructing, deploying, and using an IED is relatively simple for 
terrorists, safe and effective response to and mitigation of an IED can only be conducted by 
highly trained professionals using state-of-the-art technologies. National Accreditation 
Standards for bomb squads ensure that those charged with protecting the nation from IEDs have 
the tools and training to safely perform their critical mission. 


To further address the threat posed by IEDs, FEMA’s Grant Programs Directorate (GPD), in 
cooperation with the Department’s Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP), the FBI BDC, and the 
NBSCAB, encourages all affected states to utilize existing and future grant funding allocations to 
purchase the appropriate equipment to meet this requirement. States should immediately review 
their existing improvised explosive device (IED) response capabilities to determine if it is 
necessary to adjust their spending plans to address this threat. As part of this review, specific 
attention should be paid to the acquisition of robots and remotely operated vehicles and other 
technologies relevant to the prevention of attacks involving IEDs. 

For more information on the authorized use of grant funds for IED deterrence, prevention, 
protection, and response purposes, please contact your FEMA Headquarters GPD Program 
Analyst, or the FEMA Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) Helpline at (800) 
368-6498 or askcsid@dhs.gov.