More training needed to handle car bombs.

• Author: Fein, Geoff S.
• Position: Security beat: homeland defense briefs

Car bombs and thermobaric explosives are expected to become terrorists' weapons of choice, experts said. First responder organizations, however, are not adequately prepared or trained to deal with these threats.

"Look around the world, [car bombs are] what is being used," said Tom Burky, a homeland security expert at Battelle. "They are easy to make and very effective."

Binary stressed that he knew of no specific terrorist threats involving car bombs or thermobaric explosives, but he nevertheless believes these are plausible scenarios.

The materials to make a thermobaric bomb can be obtained without a license. And while an improvised bomb may differ from the military version, it can still have a devastating impact, said Burky.

One area of concern is the lack of adequate training available for first responders in how to spot car bombs and or how to counter thermobaric weapons, he said.

"I don't know any first responders that have a good idea of the output of throe weapons," Burky said. He noted that much of the substantive information on these threats is classified.

There are some federal agencies that have begun discussing thermobaric weapons as it relates to terrorists, but again, the sensitive nature of the weapons has slowed the flow of information, said Burky.

Keeping that information from first responders is a "backward way of doing things," he said.

Emergency and law enforcement personnel need to know about safe standoff distances, how buildings might channel a thermobaric blast and how to defuse a bomb, said Burky.

A thermobaric blast could be much more devastating than a conventional bomb. "They are very...