The Nampa Bomb Squad is one of just four bomb squads in Idaho. "Years ago they created regional hazmat teams and regional bomb squads," said Sergeant Dallas Weaver, Nampa Bomb Squad member. "Nampa's squad covers calls for about six counties in southwest Idaho, anything related to possible explosives or hazardous materials."Much like the statewide and interstate wildfire response, the Idaho Office of Emergency Management handles rural hazmat and bomb-related calls. An example occurred on New Year's Day in Payette. "There was a Payette city police officer that called State Comm.," Weaver said. "I get a message from my dispatch with a telephone and a code, and I get on this call with all those entities. They let me know what the scenario is, what I can do for them, if I need extra resources like paramedics or the hazmat team from that region."The FBI trains all bomb squads in the U.S. over the course of six weeks. Each squad receives around $16,000 in federal funding that they have two years to spend on large purchases.One large purchase I got to see firsthand is a bomb suit. After getting suited up, I learned that lying on the floor and rolling over is what they consider a claustrophobia test, to ensure officers can handle the 85-pound gear without issue."The suit that you put on is about $36,000," Weaver explained. "That doesn't cover the cost of a $36,000 bomb suit that expires every about 10 years. Most of the big expenses that we're coming across usually have to be done through capital expenses through the city."The bomb suit and detonations aren't the only expensive tools at the squad's disposal. Their robot recently underwent over $200,000 in upgrades, as well as a mobile x-ray.This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.