1
Suicide bombing is an operational method in which the very act of the attack is dependent upon the death of the perpetrator. Though only 3% of all terrorist attacks around the world can be classified as suicide bombing attacks, these account for 48% of the casualties.
Pakistan witnesses a suicide bombing attack on every 6th day on average. While there is no magic formula to protect you from acts of terrorism, one can always follow some common sense steps to reduce the risks.
The following things you can do during and after an explosion to make the horrible event less painful for you and for others around you. These recommendations are based on experts’ analyses, interviews, and basic science of blast waves and explosions.
During the attack:
Stay calm. You are the only one who can help yourself.
Crawl under a sturdy table or a solid object if things are falling around you, and remain there for at least one minute.
Stay away from glass or fixtures, like windows, mirrors, cabinets, and electrical equipments.
Follow the orders of police or safety personnel. If an evacuation is ordered, leave the building as soon as you can.
Do not forget handicapped people who may need your help in exiting.
Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in obvious, immediate danger, such as a building collapse or fire.
Do not go near gas lines, fire hazards, or kitchens.
Once out, keep as far away from the building as possible.
Do not use elevators.
Lay flat. Most explosives used by suicide bombers are designed to burst in a flower bouquet pattern to throw the shrapnel horizontally between two and six feet above the ground. This pattern increases the chances of hitting the human torso and head by a shrapnel. Therefore, the best place to be in an event of an explosion is to lay flat on the ground.
Keep your mouth open and breathe in small intervals. The most lethal aspect in an explosion is not shrapnel or heat, it is the blast overpressure. The blast wave travels at supersonic velocity and severely affects the air-filled organs like lungs, kidneys, and bowels. We naturally tend to take a deep breath and hold it in emergencies. However, this proves lethal in a bombing situation, since our lungs become like a pressurised balloon to be ruptured by the blast wave. The majority of victims in a typical suicide bombing die from internal bleeding in the lungs. Only 6% on average die from shrapnel wounds. Your chances of injury with empty lungs are far smaller compared to holding your breath.
Reduce your lateral profile – while laying on the ground, try to lay on one side and use your arms to protect the exposed eye.
If you know an explosion is coming, the best thing to do is to dig a hole or find a place below ground level and hide there.
Under the debris:
Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
Tap over and over on a pipe or wall so that rescuers can hear where you are.
Do not shout. Or shout only if there is no other choice. You inhale enormous amount of dust when yelling.
Stay calm and think of things that relax you and make you happy.
If possible, use a flashlight to signal your location to rescuers.
Avoid unnecessary movement so you don’t kick up dust.
If possible, use a whistle to signal rescuers.
After the attack:
Duck and cover.
Leave the building as quickly as possible. Do not stop to retrieve personal possessions or make phone calls.
One event can be followed by another, so do not rush towards the blast scene.
Open doors carefully; watch for falling objects.
Do not use matches or lighters. Sparks might trigger explosions.
Avoid using telephones, mobile phones and hand radios. Electrical sparks or signals could trigger other bombs.
Move away from side-walks or streets to be used by emergency officials or others still exiting the building.
If you or others have life-threatening injuries, such as severe bleeding, difficulty breathing, chest pain or burns, provide or seek first aid and get help from official.
2
Improvised explosive devices (IED) are one of the deadliest weapons facing U.S. troops in combat, and surviving an IED blast is no easy feat.
Aside from a healthy dose of luck, there are two simple rules to surviving an IED attack: Remembering that where there's one bomb there are usually two; and to then do your "5s and 25s."
"There is literally nothing you can do about that first blast," says Milo Afong, a former Marine sniper who fought al-Qaeda in Iraq. "But if you're lucky enough not to be the one who gets destroyed, there's a couple things you can do to keep on living."
Afong is also a Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) expert who, among other things, trains the military on what to do immediately following a blast.
He says the first thing to do is drop to the ground and grip some turf.
"Then do an immediate 'zero, five, and 25,'" he says.
These numbers represent the diameters of circles, around your position. The practice of checking zero, five feet, and 25 feet, in a circle, is one of the most basic ground infantry tactics in the military.
"So check zero first, which is directly under your feet," says Afong.
Then (carefully, slowly) check out to 5 feet, then out to 25, looking not only for casualties, but for any signs of "secondaries" — the bomber's second IED.
"Where there is one, there are two," says Afong.
Nine times out of 10, there are follow-on bombs — so about the worst first thing you can do is run.
"They'll use that first bomb to funnel a terrified crowd into a kill zone, then detonate the second one," says Afong.
Afong says there's even a rule before the first two, especially in a crowd of civilians with no military training.
"First thing you do is take a deep breath, and think, 'stay calm,'" says Afong.
Stay calm. Assume there is a second bomb. Do your 5s and 25s. And you'll survive.
No comments:
Post a Comment