About the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit

The Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit comprises four teams centrally located in Pensacola, Tallahassee, Tampa and Fort Myers. The unit is composed of twelve members and is commanded by Detective Scott Bialy under the direction of Major Matthew Legler. Team members work in cooperation with regionally located bomb squads and are available to respond to calls for service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The duties of the technicians include, but are not limited to: render safe operations of suspicious items, disposal of hazardous materials, dignitary protection and agency assistance in high risk entry situations. The team is also committed to providing safety training to public safety agencies in the areas of Post Blast Investigation as well as Improvised Explosive Device (IED) recognition. Members also have educated the community regarding bomb threat management and protection under high risk circumstances.

The team has been requested to perform dignitary protection in support of details for the President of the United States and bomb-related protection at large spectator venues such as the Republican National Convention and other major events held in Florida.