Police rally support for injured bomb tech, family

Midland Police Sgt. Brian Rackow, commander of EOD, examines the small package initially thought to be a pipe bomb placed in a light pole base outside Academy Sports Jan. 8 this year. Rackow was injured Thursday during an accidental explosion at a police training center. File photo by Tim Fischer 1-8-10

• 

• Related: Family fund started for injured MPD bomb tech
• Related: GPS game causes bomb scare

oTNCMS_Ad.show(); oTNCMS_Ad.show();

Midland police say they will work to surround Sgt. Brian Rackow and his family with support as he recovers from injuries he sustained while dismantling an explosive device Thursday.

“One way or another, they’ll be taken care of,” MPD Training Division Lt. Bernie Kraft said. “We’re going to make sure the family is taken care of.”

oTNCMS_Ad.show(); oTNCMS_Ad.show();

yld_mgr.place_ad_here("S300_slot");

Rackow was injured just after 11 a.m. Thursday when he was removing aluminum casing from an explosive in preparation for a future training activity, Kraft said. He remained in critical but stable condition late Thursday at University Medical Center in Lubbock, officials said.

At the time of the incident, Rackow was working alone in a shop building at the MPD Training Field, located southeast of Midland at 4500 Farm-to-Market Road 307, MPD Deputy Chief J.R. Smith said.

Rackow sustained injuries to the face, chest, arms and legs and was transported to Midland Memorial Hospital via ambulance immediately following the incident, Smith said. Kraft said at the scene Rackow may have lost his left hand and sustained injuries to his left arm.

Rackow was transferred to a hospital Lubbock during the afternoon for further treatment, Smith said.

“We’re all one big family; so anytime someone gets hurt, our heart goes out to them,” Smith said, speaking at a press conference at the police department.

Midland Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Fritz Niggeler said fortunately an ambulance and paramedics were nearby at the time of the explosion and were able to provide prompt care at the scene and later in the ambulance. Kraft added four officers who were going through training at the field also offered emergency medical care when the incident occurred.

They responded after hearing a loud noise, he said. Officers were unsure whether Rackow was wearing protective gear at the time of the incident.

By removing aluminum casing from the explosive, Kraft said, Rackow was ensuring there would be no shrapnel when officers later got rid of the device and with other oil field explosives they’ve collected.

After Rackow arrived at Midland Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, several MPD officers gathered at the hospital and lined the entrance to the ER as they waited for news on their colleague.

Around 12:30 p.m. an officer arrived at the hospital with Rackow’s wife and two children, who were eventually brought into the waiting room where they were surrounded by family, friends and both on- and off-duty MPD officers.

Through tears, Rackow’s wife asked those present simply to pray for her husband.

She and the couple’s children accompanied Rackow to Lubbock on Thursday, Smith said.

Rackow, who has been with the department for 13 years,  serves as a bomb technician as well as a sergeant on the night shift patrol. The three-person bomb unit is part of a regional response group that responds to bomb threats and possible explosive devices that are reported to the department.

The group trains twice each month, Kraft said. Rackow also has attended classes at a federal training center in Georgia, Smith said.

“He’s in a high risk position with what he was doing,” Smith said. “He loved doing it.”

ATF officials from Lubbock arrived just after 3 p.m. Thursday to conduct an investigation, Kraft said. He said their investigation would be tedious and likely include forensic work to determine how and in what direction the explosive went off. ATF is a law enforcement group within the United States Department of Justice that protects citizens from violent crimes, the trafficking of firearms and acts of arson and bombings, according to its website.

MPD also will conduct an internal investigation, as is standard procedure when an officer is injured, Smith said.

Kraft said the last officer injured at the training field was Smith, who was shot in the leg several years ago during firearms training.

Smith said workman’s compensation will cover medical expenses for Rackow.

An account called the Brian Rackow Benefit has been set up at Community National Bank by the Midland Municipal Police Officer Association to cover other expenses the family incurs.

 ———

Kathleen Thurber can be reached at kthurber@mrt.com.

About Sgt. Brian Rackow:

- Night shift supervisor

- Head of bomb squad unit

- Joined the MPD in 1997

- He’s previously served as an instructor for MPD as well as the Permian Basin Law Enforcement Academy covering topics from defensive tactics, firearms, patrol procedures, explosive recognition, suicide bomber and LvIED response and resolution

- Rackow has a wife and two children

To donate:

Brian Rackow Benefit - Midland Municipal Police Officer Association

An account has been set up at Community National Bank, 685-8400. Donations can be made at any branch. Visit, https://www.cnbtx.net/locations.aspx for location sites.

Our school will be closed for July 4th and on the 5th for some mantenience and administration, Have a good holiday and we will see you back on the 6th!

Our very own GBBH brother and Draculino's Black Belt, Gustavo Coelho Fraca, put on a show at the Last WOCS in Rio de Janeiro ( June 19th), submitting one of the best strikers in Brazil, Claudiere Freitas, via Heel Hook submission on the first round.
Congrats, Coelho!

Happy Fathers Day everyone! Sit on your thrown, watch TV, and enjoy your dinner. Eat what you want, we will work it all off on monday!

Roger is history’s first-ever three-time absolute champion.

The title came prematurely, as would-be opponent Rômulo Barral blew out his knee in the medium heavyweight final against Tarsis Humphreys and was unable to compete in the open weight final.

At medium heavyweight, Tarsis (Alliance) submitted Barral (Gracie Barra) at 6:23 min and made it to his first title. Rômulo played on top and was leading on advantage points until Tarsis escaped from getting his back mounted by going for the leg. Rômulo resisted and escaped the kneebar bending the knee inwards, which aggravated the situation and kept the athlete out of the rest of the championship.

In an exciting super heavyweight match, Ricardo Demente started out winning by a sweep in his encounter with Roger Gracie, who retaliated by moving to back mount. Afterwards, he passed and mounted but was unable to come up with the submission, as Ricardo managed to hold out for the rest of the ten regulation minutes. Besides winning his third absolute world title, Roger conquered a seventh-straight title in his weight group.

Bruno Malfacine (Alliance) returned to winning against Caio Terra (Gracie Elite Team) in the roosterweight final. This time was close, as he won by 3 to 2 in advantage points. Malfa thus made it to his third world title (2007/2009/2010).

At light featherweight, Gracie Barra athletes Samuel Braga and Pablo Silva – both Draculino students – made it to the final and opted not to fight.

Rafael Mendes (Atos JJ) conquered his first world title as a black belt upon defeating Rubens Cobrinha (Alliance) by 5 advantages to 3, with points tied at 4-4. The two were tangled in the 50/50 guard and had two sweeps apiece, and the match outcome was determined by foot attacks.

Michael Lanchi (Alliance) defeated Celso Venicius (Gracie Elite Team) in the judges’ decision and took his second world lightweight title. The match played out with Celso on top the entire time in the guard of Langhi, who threatened to off-balance his opponent at the tail end and, although failing to do so, managed an advantage point for it, thus convincing the three judges of his victory.

Marcelinho remains unbeaten at middleweight (ever since 2003, when he lost the final to Fernando Tererê). In an evenly-matched affair won by two points from a sweep, he contained Claudio Calasans’s momentum, demonstrated the sense of balance of a cat in defending sweeps and crowned himself world champion of the division for the fourth time (2004/06/09/10).

Current Pan-American absolute champion Bernardo Faria rained on Xande Ribeiro’s march for a fifth championship. He was trailing 2 to 1 in advantages but, at 7:42 min, managed to sweep and hang on to the two-point advantage to become world heavyweight champion for the first time.

In the final match of the championship, Rodrigo Cavaca (CheckMat) capped off the campaign of the day (which started with him submitting two-time world champion Márcio Pé de Pano with a triangle) and, after sweeping Carlson Gracie Team’s Roberto Cyborg, finishing up with a footlock at 2:49 min of action.

Alliance was the winning team, followed by Gracie Barra in second and CheckMat in third.

Original Article by Luca Atalla : http://graciemagworlds.wordpress.com/2010/06/06/roger-is-first-ever-three-time-absolute-champion-meet-the-other-black-belt-champions/

I have an upcoming trip to Brazil and can’t wait for the trip! 12 of us are going. Train In Rio is setting everything up for us, lodging, flights, training and meals!  4 days in BH, training at my main school (GBBH) and then 5 days in Rio, training at Gracie Barra HQ.  That will be great for the students to have access to the BJJ Brazilian culture and to share the mats with the best black belts in business. It’ll be an eye opening trip and one that these guys will never forget.  Besides that, Brazil is a great place to have fun! We plan on making this an annual trip so for those that missed it this year, start planning NOW for next year!

www.TrainInRio.com