News reports regularly report on incidents involving terrorists or crazed gunmen laying siege to hordes of innocent people. What would you do if you suddenly found yourself thrown into this situation? Would you know what actions were crucial to your survival?
Unfortunately, there is no 100% guarantee you’ll come out of a terrorist situation alive. But, armed with an arsenal of behaviors, skills, and tips, you’ll greatly increase your chances of survival.
The first step to survival preparedness is to always be aware of your surroundings. Most of us tend to either be raptly engaged in activity or immersed in our own private thoughts. Neither of these states lends itself to survival. There are key behaviors and scenarios that should put you on alert.
1. Watch out for people who seem odd or out-of-place. They convey a sense of uneasiness and may seem agitated or angry. They send off clear signals of stress and anxiety. Pay attention to people in a state of perpetual movement or those whose demeanor appears odd or exaggerated.
2. Be leery of oddly placed items such as carrying bags or pieces of luggage. These are not items normal people just leave lying about unattended. They’ll either get someone to watch their bag for them or it will be on their person. An odd brief case, book bag, or shopping bag just sitting there should send off a flashing red warning signal.
If you plan to attend an event, go online and print out a layout of the venue. You need to view the building setup and the locations of exits. Arrive as early as possible so you can find the exits and see where they lead. See what alternative ways of leaving the main arena exist. Put together a clear path for rapid exit should the need arise.
There are two common types of barriers. Each can keep you safe when used for its own purpose.
COVER Cover is a barrier strong enough to protect you from ammo rounds or low-grade bomb lasts. Structures made of marble, concrete or brick would fall under this classification.
CONCEALMENT The purpose of concealment is to keep you out of the attacker’s line of vision so you can’t become a target. Concealment won’t stop you from being hit by ammo fire, but it can obscure the assailant’s view. Good concealment includes the inner walls of buildings, vehicles, bushes, trees, and thick shrubs.
A great safety item to keep with you at all times is a small flashlight. A quick flash in an attacker’s eyes can flood his retina with light. This can induce momentary spot blind ness than can give you valuable time to find a safe place to hide or get out of the danger zone.
If you are under attack, the most important thing to do is keep moving A moving target is a lot harder to hit than a stationary one.
Don’t follow or run with the crush of the crowd. Terrorists often fire directly into large crowds to increase the casualty count. The bulk of the crowd will head toward the main exit. You should take an alternate route. Try to exit through windows or hop across barriers so you are moving against the flow of the crowd. Moving away from a mob also decreases your chances of becoming a victim of a dangerous stampede.
Try to stay and move along walls. But beware, a bullet ricochet often travels along walls and floors. Move as quickly as you can to cut your chances of getting hit. Keep moving until you are safely beyond the main area of danger. Many terrorist attacks involve second or even third strikes at the same target.
Once you’ve made it to an open area, run as fast as you can in a direction away from the noise. Either keep moving or find safe cover or concealment to hide and wait for security forces to arrive.
Spend time playing out ‘what if’ scenarios in your head. Exercises like this uncover inventive options that could be life savers. Nothing can prepare you for a surprise attack. But, you can alter your behavior and approach situations in a way that gives you an edge.
