Richard Coleman heads up PFPA’s Hazardous Device Division (HDD) or “Bomb Squad.” On Monday, Jan. 21, he will be working his fifth presidential inauguration, and his second with PFPA.
One of PFPA’s wisest and most experienced employees is Richard Coleman, who heads up the agency’s FBI-accredited Hazardous Device Division (HDD) or “bomb squad.”
Coleman has decades of experience in the world of explosives. His resume includes stints with the U.S. military, FBI, and U.S. intelligence services. And on Monday, Jan. 21, Coleman will be working his fifth presidential inauguration, and his second with PFPA.
In 2008, he says, “we were here at two-o’clock in the morning. There were only two of us plus the military. We did a lot of work that evening. It was a long day.”
This year will be no different. Coleman’s long work day will start at 2:00 a.m. But this time, he’ll have six of his crew on hand to help sweep the buses that stage at the Pentagon before departing for the inaugural parade in Washington, D.C.
“We can do three buses in about 90 seconds,” he says. “It’s dog searching, robot searching, and people are searching, all at the same time. It’s choreographed. And the reason we’re successful is that we have an excellent group of people. They work very hard and they’re dedicated.”
More than 100 PFPA personnel from several different directorates and units — including the Pentagon Police; Investigation and Threats; Security Services; Emergency Response Team; and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives — will be working the presidential inauguration.
“This is where it, [the inauguration], all starts,” says Coleman, “right here at the Pentagon.”