Mine Risk Education courses or MRE are given by EOD Team members who have been “Called Out” because a suspected object of danger has been found and reported. The actual danger of the “found object/s” is determined and then rendered safe. Once the area is safe the team conducts an MRE, teaching local citizens what to be on the lookout for. An MRE might be for 1 or 2 people, a small group, or even the entire population of a school.
During an MRE, the diagrams posted here are shown. From these photos you can see what an object in prime condition might look compared to an actual found object which had been “weathered” for an extended period of time – sometimes objects from the late 1960s – 50 years ago!
When you look at the Teams’ daily find actual photos, you can see how difficult it might be to recognize these UXO. (UneXploded Ordnance – meaning an explosive device which has not exploded!) Some are almost camouflaged right in plain site!
Role playing may be included as part of an MRE where a limb (arm or leg) is held back and the “contestant” has to maneuver his or her way around with a “missing limb”, just as they would do if they had encountered a landmine.
Thanks to Chhun Bora for supplying all these diagrams!