As long as I’m feeling sorry for myself (’tis the season) and missing various things (like folks I haven’t talked to in a long time), I might as well whine about something else. When I left my old department for the one I’m currently working for, I had worked on the bomb squad for five years. I don’t regret leaving for the new department; I think it was the best move.

But I really miss working on a bomb squad.

My current department doesn’t have one. I think it should, given that in the year and a half I’ve worked there I’ve responded (without the proper equipment) to 2 bomb threats, 2 hoax devices, and three actual devices. Money, of course, is a big consideration. It takes around $250,000 to equip a small bomb squad, not to mention salary and training costs. This is a small county, with limited resources.

But I still miss working on a bomb squad. It’s a challenge, trying to figure out what’s in a given package, how it was designed, and how to render it safe; without being able to directly see inside it or even touch it. It’s a mental challenge, as well as a physical one; the suit weighs 80 pounds and wearing it for even short periods of time is exhausting.

But I really miss it.