Germania, Renania Settentrionale-Vestfalia, Düsseldorf
First assistant fire chief of Düsseldorf fire brigade, Dr. Ulrich Cimolino, provides a detailed explanation of what uxo are, where they can be found and why we should be aware of them. In particular, the work provided by him refers to Germany, however general information are transversally true to also other countries. The term uxo refers to “unexploded ordnance” and they constitute the reason why wars continue to do damage even years after the actual conflict ended. Uxo may be unfired ammunitions, dropped bombs, fired grenades, which are secretly hiding under the ground of cities, towns, villages and even in more remote places as lakes, forests and beaches. They have one thing in common: they are ready to explode. Normally, highly specialized teams of experts are dedicated to the safe removal of the uxo and clearification of the area in danger. However, nowadays the popular “hobby” of metal detecting ferrous objects and the lack of common sense among people has worsened the situation even more. The number of injured people by uxo is increased through their “unprofessional disposal”, which creates a dangerous situation not only for themselves but also for people in the surrounding area. As Dr. Ulrich Cimolino states in his slides “this is not a stupid story for children – but a real risk”, we invite our readers to be aware of the danger of being in front of a bomb and we remind that you should only do one thing – call the police! The police will secure the area and organize the arrival of the bomb disposal experts team on site. The slides illustrate the tools, protocols and challenges of this job, clearly demonstrating how only highly specialized people with the right equipment can remove safely the uxos. Here we provide the link for downloading the slides. S.J.A.L
