If you are at the site of a bombing

[buckwheatpaul]

I found this on another site and thought is was very interesting and suggestions on how to deal with a bombing......put your 2 cents worth in!

https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/the-secondary-device

[country gent]

Interesting to read, Hopefully none of us have to use this knowledge ever.

[Peregrine]

The idea of a secondary device is not a new tactic, it's in various field manuals i've read from the WW2 era as a suggestion.

The IRA used it quite effectively at Narrow Water.

[abunaitoo]

I have a slight problem with suggestion #1.
By "get as far away from the initial bombing site as possible", would you not draw attention to yourself????
Appear to be running away from the scene. Suspicious
Better chance of being gunning down as a dangerous terrorist.
How would you know, your not running into the “secondary device.”
Also, with a bomb blast, you could have internal injuries.
By "get as far away from the initial bombing site as possible" if you pass out, no one there to help you.
If you can "run away" wouldn't the "right thing to do", is to stay and help others?????
Makes more sense to stay in one place, and help others, if possible, making it easier for first responders to assets the situation.
"it’s only a matter of time before we see an increased number of terrorist bombings here in the USA."
That's a comforting thought.

[RED BEAR]

Well thats not something i have ever contemplated .

[country gent]

Actuall the "secondary Device" use set up and tactics was described and explained in the movie uncommon Valor by their explosives expert in one scene.

[Finster101]

Actuall the "secondary Device" use set up and tactics was described and explained in the movie uncommon Valor by their explosives expert in one scene.

Yessir, great movie!

[knifemaker]

You should get away from the scene of the explosion as far as possible. If there is a secondary device, most times it will be close to the first explosion in order to get those people that rush in to aid the injured persons. Take this advice from a military trained demolition specialist.

[bedbugbilly]

Good information - thanks for the post. We'd like to think it couldn't happen here buts we know, we've had our share of bombings in this country as well. The tendency of people - well intentioned -is to help those injured in a bombing if possible . . . and bad guys know that. It makes one wonder why the media (we know why the media will never do it) and Homeland Security don't make a concentrated effort to educate the public.

[Outpost75]

From our CERT annual refresher training:

Treat all explosive detonations as HAZMAT incidents!

Don’t touch anything
Get far AWAY, UPHILL, UPWIND
Warn others to get away and stay away
Help others to evacuate the area
SIZEUP as you can from a safe distance
REPORT the incident to 911 by landline!
DO NOT use cell phone or 2-way RADIO!
May trigger secondary device, if present.

What to tell the 911 call taker:

Where are you now?
What happened (best as you can determine)
Where it happened
Number and types of known injuries
What is happening now
Who you are
Where you are now
How you can be reached

If YOU are contaminated:

Remove everything, including jewelry
Cut off clothing normally removed over the head
Wash your hands before using them to shower
Flush entire body with cool water
Blot dry with absorbent cloth
Put on clean clothes
Report to responders for thorough decontamination, assessment, treatment.

Take SELF-PROTECTIVE measures only
Use basic decontamination procedures
DO NOT treat victims in contaminated area
Tell people leaving how to do basic decon and then to report to responders for thorough decon/ assessment / treatment.

COUNTERMEASURES
for Hazmat, Radiological and Explosive Incidents

TIME - Exit the contaminated area - Minimize duration of exposure.

DISTANCE - Distance yourself from the hazard. Be aware that chemical or biological agents can be airborne or be heavier than the surrounding air, being more persistent in low areas with poor air circulation. You must not only seek distance from the hazard to minimize exposure, but move uphill and upwind from the source.

SHIELDING - Sturdy [bullet proof] physical barriers, 8 inches or more of solid masonry. Metal vehicles. Use terrain.
No matter how much shielding you have, you must still take advantage of time and distance!

Telephone bomb threats are most common. All calls which mention bomb threats, suspicious objects, suspected explosive, incendiaries or biological devices should be considered “real.”
E-mail threats are more difficult to trace.
Save the e-mail message
Print it out, and copy to a SD card for police
Call the police and your company security.

If you get a phone threat, question the caller and write down responses:

WHERE is the bomb?
WHEN will it explode?
WHAT does it look like?
WHAT TYPE of bomb is it?
WHAT CAN BE DONE to stop it?
WHO ARE YOU? (Usually prompts a hang-up)

Keep calm, use a standardized hand signal to summon help and keep the caller on the line while asking the caller the standard question set, carefully noting your observations on the Bomb Threat Check List in your emergency procedures. The public safety call taker is in the best position to obtain information needed to enable law enforcement to assess the credibility of the threat. The following observations are vital for law enforcement to assess the credibility of the threat and act promptly upon it.

Write down the EXACT time
Write down the EXACT words of caller - Note unusual grammar, syntax, or accent
NOTE background noise, traffic, machinery, music, natural sounds, nature of caller’s voice, any identifiable or unusual sounds.

Use CALLER ID or other network security features to determine the caller’s phone number!
When caller hangs up immediately key *57 to enable “Call Trace” so law enforcement can determine the caller’s phone number.
Then call 911!

Written threat received:

Handle note or envelope as little as possible - Preserve evidence: latent prints, fibers, DNA, handwriting, printer impressions, chemical, biological or explosive traces. If suspicious item leaks liquid / powder call 911! - Potential chemical-biological-radiological threat - If package or box, isolate, evacuate the area.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE - Primary Indicators:

Item neither expected nor requested
Listed sender did not mail or ship
Postmark doesn’t match return address
Any parcel not delivered by a usual method

Hand-written labels
Poor penmanship, misspellings
Excessive tape, protrusions
Merely “looks odd,” trust your intuition!
Too much postage, particularly stamps
Stiff or thick envelope over 1/4” or 2 ounces

Things that do not belong to anyone present
Packages, bags, briefcases, luggage
Unusual location, not normal, out of place
Delivered by unknown service / person
Just “appears”
“Bulging” or misshapen containers
Capped containers with muddy liquid
Or textile wick
Releasing vapors, odors, “hissing” ! ! !

Unusual electrical components
Wires or batteries which appear out of place
Unusual plastic tubing, bottles, aerosol containers, gas cylinders
Particularly if near HVAC return air intake
Any pipe with end caps in place
Any vehicles parked in unusual locations.

Vehicle Borne IED Precursors:

Theft of explosives, blasting caps or fuses
Rental of self-storage space
Delivery of chemicals
Directly to a storage facility
Rental, theft or purchase of a truck or van
Having large carrying capacity
Modification of a truck or van
For carrying heavier loads…

Rental trucks with hazardous cargo placards
Parked in non-industrial settings
Moving outside usual trucking routes
Unattended and driver cannot be located
Any unattended passenger vehicle or van with apparent heavy load

More bomb precursors:

Reported small “test” explosions - Most often in rural or wooded areas
Walk-in ER patients with chemical burns - Anyone with untreated chemical burns
Person with missing fingers or hands
Purchase, or attempted illegal access to facility blue prints

Workplace planning:

Have a planned facility evacuation / assembly area
Prior to use check assembly area for suspect items
If any suspect item or vehicle is present
Use your alternate assembly point
DO YOU HAVE an alternate assembly point?
Use terrain features or solid objects as shielding
If evacuating INSIDE a structure go to farthermost lateral point at least several floors below the device.

Avoid assembly areas within 300 ft. of building near windows, or any overhead glass
Avoid areas with flammable / hazardous materials
Take a roll call and account for all absentees
300 ft. from small briefcase devices if you have shielding
1000 ft. MINIMUM from backpack or larger devices in the open
If a vehicle bomb is suspected, don’t stop at 1000 ft. get “as far away as possible.”

CALL 911 from a safe distance!
WRITE down location, time, license plate numbers, descriptions of observations while memory is fresh
INFORM call taker where you are, how to reach you
Follow all instructions of public safety personnel

Activating Resources:

Notify on-scene police or fire personnel - If none are present… then:
Withdraw to a safe distance - 300 ft. for a small device, if you have shielding
1000 ft. MINIMUM for large device in open - get as far AWAY, UPHILL, UPWIND as possible
DON’T use your cell phone or 2-way radio
Use a landline to CALL 911 !

Public Safety Response:

Assist individuals in harm’s way to safety
Deny entry to unauthorized personnel
Establish perimeters and operational zones
Establish Incident Command System
Establish a safe refuge for the public

[Blammer]

good luck in finding a land line....

[nagantguy]

From our CERT annual refresher training:

Treat all explosive detonations as HAZMAT incidents!

Don’t touch anything
Get far AWAY, UPHILL, UPWIND
Warn others to get away and stay away
Help others to evacuate the area
SIZEUP as you can from a safe distance
REPORT the incident to 911 by landline!
DO NOT use cell phone or 2-way RADIO!
May trigger secondary device, if present.

What to tell the 911 call taker:

Where are you now?
What happened (best as you can determine)
Where it happened
Number and types of known injuries
What is happening now
Who you are
Where you are now
How you can be reached

If YOU are contaminated:

Remove everything, including jewelry
Cut off clothing normally removed over the head
Wash your hands before using them to shower
Flush entire body with cool water
Blot dry with absorbent cloth
Put on clean clothes
Report to responders for thorough decontamination, assessment, treatment.

Take SELF-PROTECTIVE measures only
Use basic decontamination procedures
DO NOT treat victims in contaminated area
Tell people leaving how to do basic decon and then to report to responders for thorough decon/ assessment / treatment.

COUNTERMEASURES
for Hazmat, Radiological and Explosive Incidents

TIME - Exit the contaminated area - Minimize duration of exposure.

DISTANCE - Distance yourself from the hazard. Be aware that chemical or biological agents can be airborne or be heavier than the surrounding air, being more persistent in low areas with poor air circulation. You must not only seek distance from the hazard to minimize exposure, but move uphill and upwind from the source.

SHIELDING - Sturdy [bullet proof] physical barriers, 8 inches or more of solid masonry. Metal vehicles. Use terrain.
No matter how much shielding you have, you must still take advantage of time and distance!

Telephone bomb threats are most common. All calls which mention bomb threats, suspicious objects, suspected explosive, incendiaries or biological devices should be considered “real.”
E-mail threats are more difficult to trace.
Save the e-mail message
Print it out, and copy to a SD card for police
Call the police and your company security.

If you get a phone threat, question the caller and write down responses:

WHERE is the bomb?
WHEN will it explode?
WHAT does it look like?
WHAT TYPE of bomb is it?
WHAT CAN BE DONE to stop it?
WHO ARE YOU? (Usually prompts a hang-up)

Keep calm, use a standardized hand signal to summon help and keep the caller on the line while asking the caller the standard question set, carefully noting your observations on the Bomb Threat Check List in your emergency procedures. The public safety call taker is in the best position to obtain information needed to enable law enforcement to assess the credibility of the threat. The following observations are vital for law enforcement to assess the credibility of the threat and act promptly upon it.

Write down the EXACT time
Write down the EXACT words of caller - Note unusual grammar, syntax, or accent
NOTE background noise, traffic, machinery, music, natural sounds, nature of caller’s voice, any identifiable or unusual sounds.

Use CALLER ID or other network security features to determine the caller’s phone number!
When caller hangs up immediately key *57 to enable “Call Trace” so law enforcement can determine the caller’s phone number.
Then call 911!

Written threat received:

Handle note or envelope as little as possible - Preserve evidence: latent prints, fibers, DNA, handwriting, printer impressions, chemical, biological or explosive traces. If suspicious item leaks liquid / powder call 911! - Potential chemical-biological-radiological threat - If package or box, isolate, evacuate the area.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE - Primary Indicators:

Item neither expected nor requested
Listed sender did not mail or ship
Postmark doesn’t match return address
Any parcel not delivered by a usual method

Hand-written labels
Poor penmanship, misspellings
Excessive tape, protrusions
Merely “looks odd,” trust your intuition!
Too much postage, particularly stamps
Stiff or thick envelope over 1/4” or 2 ounces

Things that do not belong to anyone present
Packages, bags, briefcases, luggage
Unusual location, not normal, out of place
Delivered by unknown service / person
Just “appears”
“Bulging” or misshapen containers
Capped containers with muddy liquid
Or textile wick
Releasing vapors, odors, “hissing” ! ! !

Unusual electrical components
Wires or batteries which appear out of place
Unusual plastic tubing, bottles, aerosol containers, gas cylinders
Particularly if near HVAC return air intake
Any pipe with end caps in place
Any vehicles parked in unusual locations.

Vehicle Borne IED Precursors:

Theft of explosives, blasting caps or fuses
Rental of self-storage space
Delivery of chemicals
Directly to a storage facility
Rental, theft or purchase of a truck or van
Having large carrying capacity
Modification of a truck or van
For carrying heavier loads…

Rental trucks with hazardous cargo placards
Parked in non-industrial settings
Moving outside usual trucking routes
Unattended and driver cannot be located
Any unattended passenger vehicle or van with apparent heavy load

More bomb precursors:

Reported small “test” explosions - Most often in rural or wooded areas
Walk-in ER patients with chemical burns - Anyone with untreated chemical burns
Person with missing fingers or hands
Purchase, or attempted illegal access to facility blue prints

Workplace planning:

Have a planned facility evacuation / assembly area
Prior to use check assembly area for suspect items
If any suspect item or vehicle is present
Use your alternate assembly point
DO YOU HAVE an alternate assembly point?
Use terrain features or solid objects as shielding
If evacuating INSIDE a structure go to farthermost lateral point at least several floors below the device.

Avoid assembly areas within 300 ft. of building near windows, or any overhead glass
Avoid areas with flammable / hazardous materials
Take a roll call and account for all absentees
300 ft. from small briefcase devices if you have shielding
1000 ft. MINIMUM from backpack or larger devices in the open
If a vehicle bomb is suspected, don’t stop at 1000 ft. get “as far away as possible.”

CALL 911 from a safe distance!
WRITE down location, time, license plate numbers, descriptions of observations while memory is fresh
INFORM call taker where you are, how to reach you
Follow all instructions of public safety personnel

Activating Resources:

Notify on-scene police or fire personnel - If none are present… then:
Withdraw to a safe distance - 300 ft. for a small device, if you have shielding
1000 ft. MINIMUM for large device in open - get as far AWAY, UPHILL, UPWIND as possible
DON’T use your cell phone or 2-way radio
Use a landline to CALL 911 !

Public Safety Response:

Assist individuals in harm’s way to safety
Deny entry to unauthorized personnel
Establish perimeters and operational zones
Establish Incident Command System
Establish a safe refuge for the public

This is exactly the SOP we were trained in!

[Outpost75]

This is exactly the SOP we were trained in!

Hasn't changed. GSA still uses it.

[hiram1]

It is so sad. that this
has to be put on here sad sad..my heart crys

[buckwheatpaul]

Thanks for your posts and thoughts! It was posted so that you can decide what is the best path for you and your family to follow if the worst happens....I pray for the best and prepare for the worst......I'm not sure if I could leave the scene as I have been on the front line for 35+ years and I am wired for helping....but I would make sure that my family was moving away from the scene if some coward decided to do the worst!