LCpl Bartrum & Grant Undertake EOD Training
Two members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment will become the first women in the battalion to join a team of soldiers trained in the detection of explosives.
Lance Corporal Co-shae Bartrum and Lance Corporal Ashley Grant are developing skills in Barbados as part of the US Southern Command-sponsored Exercise Tradewinds 2024.
They are joined there by Acting Warrant Officer Class 2 Runekco Edwards, who is delivering explosive ordnance disposal training alongside counterparts from French, US and Mexican forces.
LCpl Bartum, from Sandys, explained: “We’re part of the EOD search team, so they’re teaching us what to look for, how to spot things that are out of the ordinary.
“We also learned the different components of an IED.”
Acting Sergeant Major Edwards, 41, from Paget, added: “They covered the disruptor – that’s how to destroy ordnance; and also the different types of switches: time, command and victim.”
Explosives in the first category are set off by a timer; command IEDs are operated by the bomber from a distance; and victim-operated IEDs are designed to explode when activated by the victim, for example via a trip wire.
The students also tried on heavy protective clothing known as a bomb suit.
LCpl Grant, from St George’s and a member of staff at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort, said she and LCpl Bartrum put themselves forward for the training.
The 33-year-old added: “I try everything once – it’s either I like it, or I don’t. That’s the way that I learn and progress.”
LCpl Grant highlighted that she does not take for granted the opportunities provided by the regiment.
“I’m very appreciative of being selected,” she said.
LCpl Bartrum, who is an animal grooming assistant in civilian life, said part of the reason she wanted to join the course was her interest in the work it involved.
She added: “It’s a challenge, and also shows other females ‘you can do it too’. Because we are the first two females to do it, it gives others a bit more encouragement.”
Students on the EOD course include members of units based in Barbados, The Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, and Mexico. They will learn how to effectively use devices that can assist in searches for explosives, and strengthen their skills in teamwork and communication.
The ongoing Tradewinds 2024 is a two-week, Caribbean-focused, multi-dimensional exercise that covers ground, sea, air and cyber domains.
It allows forces and other agencies to carry out joint training focused on increasing regional cooperation to counter cross-border organised crime and to perform humanitarian or disaster relief operations.
LCpl Grant highlighted how the RBR’s participation put Bermuda “on the map”.
She added: “Out of all the countries that are here, we’re another flag on the pole.
“It doesn’t matter how small you are, you can still have a big impact.”
- For more information or to join the Royal Bermuda Regiment, visit rbr.bm or call 238-1045