here are several Explosive Ordinance Disposal ("EOD" or bomb teams) throughout the State of Illinois. For several years, ILEAS has supported those teams by providing bomb suits, robots, x-ray devices, etc. One of the ways ILEAS support the EOD teams is to conduct an annual EOD Robot Maintenance Course at the ILEAS Training Center. The robot maintenance course occurred at the ILEAS Training Center the week of October 4, 2021. Every EOD team uses the same brand and style of robot, which costs upwards of $250,000 apiece. Most of the EOD teams in Illinois participate for a day over a three-day period. Under the supervision of a manufacturer factory specialist, the EOD Technicians will disassemble their robots, inspect, clean and maintain each piece and then reassemble them ready for duty. Parts that need replaced are replaced at that time. This process also trains the EOD Technicians how the robot works. This is important in the field if there is a problem; it can be recognized and possibly fixed on the spot. As a result, at least once a year, every EOD robot in Illinois (outside the City of Chicago) is fully maintained and repaired annually - thereby extending their useful life to avoid the significant cost of replacement.
