Tag: situational awareness

Summer Home Security Quiz

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Gun-wielding threat to your family and home
“Gun???”

Are you familiar with Nextdoor? It describes itself as a “social networking service for neighborhoods.” Local people sign up, list items for sale, exchange lost and found stories, etc. When I compare posts from earlier years with more recent ones, I realize that home security is a big concern for people this summer.

Every day on Nextdoor I see video footage from various front door cameras. The videos show strangers roaming neighborhoods, testing doors to see if they are open, stealing packages. We get images of thieves stealing catalytic converters at 2 am, and yesterday, it was a whole motorcycle! (Those guys were actually caught.)

I’ve written before about home security including home invasion. It just feels as though a reminder is in order. So if you have any misgivings about safety for the coming months, here’s this week’s short post:

Summer Home Security Quiz

How would you rate your current degree of “situational awareness?”

  • I figure that whatever is going to happen will happen so I really don’t worry about it.
  • I’ve changed a few habits, like parking in better-lighted areas and being sure the car is locked.
  • I pay attention and can tell when people or activities don’t fit into normal neighborhood patterns.

Have you improved perimeter security for your home?

  • Haven’t made any changes. I’ve lived here safely for years.
  • I have installed a doorbell video camera to see what’s going on outside my front door.
  • I have motion-activated lighting around my place and a monitored perimeter alarm system.

How do you respond to potential threats at the front door?

  • When the doorbell rings, I answer it. I don’t want to be rude.
  • When the doorbell rings, before I open the door I check to see if it’s someone I’m expecting. I don’t open the door if I don’t know or expect that person.
  • I have reinforced the door frame and front door locks to make it a whole lot harder for someone to force their way in.

Do you make any changes to your appearance depending on where you’re headed when you go out?

  • iPhone, Apple watch, new necklace – wouldn’t be seen without ‘em!
  • I carry my oversized purse (or my computer backpack) everywhere I go. Yeah, it weighs a ton, but I’ve got everything I need in there.
  • I am committed to change. I wear message T-shirts so everyone knows where I stand. I have political stickers on my car, too.

I think that by now you have got the message. What’s happening in your neighborhood today may not be the same as what was happening 5 years or even 2 years ago. Heck, you are not be the same as you were 5 years or even 2 years ago!

So now that summer’s here, and you and others are out and about more than you were over the winter months, it’s a good time for a reassessment. The quiz questions SHOULD have prompted your thinking about safety at events and in crowds. About home security. About personal safety.

Did you come across a couple of items that made you think, “Yeah, I really ought to do something about that . . .!”

If so, now’s the time to take action!

Let us know of other summer safety ideas or new summer habits that you would recommend.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. And watch for the next in our series of Short Summer Posts. Last week we talked about Events. This week is about Home. Coming up: summer posts for Motorists, Boy Scouts, and Property Managers — and more!


Smash and Grab – Worse this year!

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Rolex watch, target of smash and grab
Perfect gift — or perfect target???

It’s not too often that I add a new topic to our list of Advisories. So much of emergency preparedness is just getting smarter and more secure around the basics. This week, however, I have felt obliged to add a new threat for you to consider: a Smash and Grab incident!

Over the past few days of Black Friday shopping frenzy, a handful of major cities have experienced dozens of violent Smash and Grab incidents. Teams of people, clearly organized and prepared with crow bars and hammers, violently invade upscale stores, breaking windows and display cases, and making off with thousands of dollars of high-end merchandise. Within minutes, they are gone.

A security guard was shot and killed as he defended a video team filming the violence. So far, though while shoppers’ packages have been snatched by the mobs, no shoppers have been reported injured.

But it’s likely only a matter of time before a shopper or staff member is in the wrong place at the wrong time, or makes the wrong move. We don’t want that someone to be you!

Can I prevent a smash and grab incident?

It’s not clear that there is any way to prevent such an incident. Certainly, mall and store security has been beefed up. But the snatch and grab gangs swoop in and get out before law enforcement personnel can get there.

You might avoid being caught up in an incident by shopping during daylight hours.  And it would be a good idea to shop in smaller local stores rather in malls or big box stores.  (These thieves seem to be drawn by wide aisles, lots of merchandise, multiple ways out, and easy escape routes for their cars.)

Practice situational awareness all the time to help keep yourself out of harm’s way!

We’ve written before about situational awareness. Its simplest definition?  Being more aware of what’s going on around you!

The more complete definition of situational awareness for personal protection includes:

  • Gather information about your environment.
  • Understand what you see, feel, hear, etc.
  • Predict what could happen and come up with options for how you could react. (Use your imagination!)
  • Be ready to take action if you feel unsafe.

Now, this should all make sense to you, and you could probably follow all these steps if you knew in advance that you were heading into trouble.  The challenge is to maintain situational awareness ALL THE TIME! 

You can practice!  And the more you do, the easier it becomes.  (As I have mentioned before, Joe has had training in military intelligence. Situational awareness is built right into him!)

Shopping presents particular threats.

Even if you don’t get caught up in a smash-and-grab incident, you may be broadcasting an invitation to a thief. Are you guilty of any of these shopping-associated behaviors?

  • You just bought that perfect and very expensive gift you’ve been looking for!  As you push your way through the crowd you are exchanging excited video calls with your girlfriends and telling them just what a great discount you got!
  • You’re finished with your shopping. You pretty much stagger into the parking garage so loaded down with parcels and packages you can hardly  see over them. You don’t even notice who is coming toward you in the shadows. 
  • Your shift is up. You’re the last person out of the store tonight, and you head into the nearly empty parking lot alone. All you can think about is getting home and getting out of those shoes.

In every case above, your lack of situational awareness has turned you into a potential victim!   

What if I happen to be in a store when a gang of smash-and-grabbers comes in?

I mentioned that Joe has had valuable experience in staying aware. His experience has been catching!

Every time I go into ANY building I always make the effort to identify ways to get out other than the way I came in. In a grocery store, that’s back through the loading area. In a retail store, I look for signs for restrooms and emergency exits. (Since we’re in California, I also automatically and continually look for places to shelter in an earthquake.)

In a smash-and-grab situation you may suddenly notice people pouring into the store. You may hear breaking glass. If you’ve already identified other exits, move away from the turmoil and toward those exits if you can!

If you can’t get away, try to remain unnoticed.  Stay out of the way. Don’t scream or fight. Let them take your packages if they want them. (If you paid by credit card you may get your money back thanks to “purchase protection!”  Check to see if your card has it!)

Remember, the smash-and-grab mob is not interested in you.  They want things — preferably expensive things like jewelry or electronics that can be resold over the internet. They also want to get their loot and get out quickly, so any person that gets in their way is likely to be fiercely attacked.

This holiday season is turning out to be unlike any other.

Over the past few months we have all witnessed more mass shootings, more bomb threats, more erratic driving, and more angry confrontations than I can ever remember.  The smash-and-grab incidents fall right into this wave of violence. So a refresher on situational awareness is timely.

I have a couple of recommendations for that refresher.

Q&A Mini Series Personal Safety

First, our own Mini-Book on Personal Safety devotes 4 of its 17 questions to situational awareness. Each one of the answers offers up some detailed ways you – and your kids — can practice getting better at it! 

(I got a nice email from an emergency management professional who said he was impressed to have “found new info” there about how to practice!)

Here’s the link to Personal Safety on Amazon. A perfect and inexpensive gift for every member of the family!

Second, as part of the research for today’s Advisory I discovered three videos on YouTube from Homeland Security. They are games to test just how accurately you see things!  Now, you may not do very well on #1, but by the time you’ve finished #3, you will have improved!  Going through them takes less than 15 minutes and it’s fun!

I have relied on news reports for much of this Advisory. If your local police offers tips for safe shopping, or a special press release on smash and grab incidents in your community, be sure to find out more. You may prefer to approach certain shopping areas with extra caution.

That’s it for this week. But the role of situational awareness doesn’t go away. Commit to improving your own skill!

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team

P.S. Our personal safety book covers a lot more than mindset. If you’re considering self-defense systems, you’ll find questions about martial arts, weapons and deadly weapons, too. It all has to do with gaining more control over your personal safety.

Respond to an Active Shooter

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Ready to head back into society after the pandemic?

Planning an outing to a favorite shopping street for the first time in months? A big family picnic in the park for the 4th of July? Looking forward to getting back to the office? If you’re like me, you probably are spending time just imagining how great it will be to be with people again! If you’re like me, you are also taking some time to think about personal safety in these crowd settings. In particular, you’re thinking about how you would respond to an active shooter.

The huge upsurge in shootings over the past year just can’t be ignored.

Can you prevent an active shooter event?  No.

Can you protect yourself from being a victim? Possibly. But only if you know WHAT TO DO and you DO IT IMMEDIATELY.

What’s the latest intel on active shooters?

I just attended two webinars on the topic of active shooter events, one from a commercial security firm and the other sponsored through FEMA. I looked at the latest statistics and reviewed the latest “best practices.” Interestingly enough, the people doing the shooting are pretty much the same: 98% men.

How police respond has changed dramatically. (As the security guy said, “The first officer to show up will be coming in running . . .”) Weapons have become more deadly. And the number of shootings is increasing.

How to protect yourself, though, hasn’t changed much. But that won’t do you any good if you haven’t prepared.

It’s time to prepare emotionally and review just how we would respond.

“I just lay there, waiting for my turn to die.”

I first read that statement after the events that took place at Virginia Tech way back in 2007.  You will remember that the shooter entered several classrooms and simply shot all the students one after another.  Then he came back and shot them again. The quote is from one of the girls who survived.

What is shocking is that this same quote has been repeated more than once in similar situations! Faced with an active shooter, some people seem to become like sheep! I was outraged and dismayed by the quote, and determined that Emergency Plan Guide readers would never respond this way!

So, what’s your plan?

Start now working on situational awareness.

In our Mini-book on Personal Safety, we describe a half-dozen “exercises” you can practice — alone or with your kids – that will up your readiness. The exercises almost all have to do with what’s called “situational awareness.” That is, noticing what other people are doing, noting where entrances, exits and potential hiding places are, and thinking and talking about “What would we do if . . .?”

Since Active shooter events are almost always over within 10 minutes – sometimes before the police even arrive — what counts is what you do within the first minutes or seconds. The faster you realize that something is wrong or out of place, the faster you’ll be able to act. Situational awareness is what gives you that edge.

Then, it’s good to know what to do to respond. Here are three resources I hope you’ll put to use starting immediately. Share them with your family, groups you belong to, and at work. You’ll come out with a better idea of how to respond if you encounter an active shooter.

Step One — Watch the video: Run – Hide – Fight

The original Run-Hide-Fight video was produced in 2012 by the City of Houston. We have shown the video multiple times to different audiences. They are always taken aback even though it’s a staged production. It lasts only 5 minutes but will generate important comments and questions. Here’s the link to YouTube: https://youtu.be/5VcSwejU2D0 (Be ready to skip the ads at the beginning.)

Step Two — Watch the video: Options for Consideration – Active Shooter Preparedness

The Department of Homeland Security produced this video in 2019. It’s about 7 minutes long. I didn’t find it as powerful as the Run-Hide-Fight, nor is the quality as good. What is good, though, is to observe how long it takes the people in the video to respond to the sound of gunfire! And it has some more good ideas about hiding. You could watch both videos at the same meeting.

Link to the DHS website where you can view the video: https://www.dhs.gov/cisa/options-consideration-active-shooter-preparedness-video

Step Three — Download: “Active Shooter – How to Respond”

This is a 13-page pdf from the Department of Homeland Security. You can use it in many different ways — as study material for a discussion, as a guide for a quiz, material for a flyer, etc. Since you’re here right now, though, here are some highlights taken from all three of these resources to get you started.

And now, some specifics.

RUN.

If you hear gunshots, don’t stop and ask, “Hey, do you think that’s gunshots? Maybe it’s just fireworks? Or is it a car backfiring?” If you see a shooter, or see people running, don’t just stand there looking for the source of the noise or action! You need to get away from the shooter and any stray bullets!

  • Have two different escape routes figured out – at all times! First may be back the way you came in. But if that route is blocked, or the shooter has come in behind you, you need an escape route that takes you out another way. Maybe it’s through the kitchen of the restaurant, out the loading area of a grocery store, out a marked emergency exit. Always keep a lookout for alternative exits wherever you are.
  • Leave your stuff behind – purse, backpack, computer, etc. You can’t run with your arms full of packages.
  • Get out even if others don’t seem to want to. But don’t allow people to head INTO danger if you can help it.
  • Call 911 when you can. Give as much information as you can to dispatch: who, where, how many, etc.

HIDE.

The shooter is in a hurry. He wants to injure or kill as many people as possible. He knows he will probably die before it’s all over. So he’s looking for easy targets. If you can hide, and he doesn’t know or suspect you are there, he’s likely to move on. So, how to hide?

  • Get into a room with a door you can lock or block. Reinforce by pulling furniture in front of the door. (Remember that scene in the Capitol where furniture kept insurrectionists from breaking into the House Chamber?)
  • Turn out lights. Pull blinds or otherwise block the view into your room. You don’t want to draw any attention to your hiding space.
  • Get behind heavy furniture as protection from stray bullets.
  • Be quiet – really quiet. That means turning off radios and computers, and SILENCING your phone, not just putting it on vibrate.

FIGHT.

If the shooter is so close to you that you can’t run or hide, your only option is to fight for your life! Yes, you may be injured. But you may also save many lives that otherwise would surely be lost.

  • Attack means attack! Scream and yell aggressively and dramatically! Move rapidly!
  • Create chaos! Throw stuff to hurt and disorient the shooter. Computers, chairs, lamps, a pot of coffee, your purse, books, a fire extinguisher. Anything can become an effective missile.
  • Gang up and attack as a pack! Some people can go for the shooter’s legs, others for his body. The sheer weight of several people can overwhelm one individual. You may be able to hold him down until authorities arrive.
  • Commit . . . and don’t quit.

And here’s one more exceedingly simple suggestion – When you get back to work or to school, take a look at the doors of the rooms you use. Can they be locked to keep out a shooter?

You may not be able to harden door frames or replace locks. But for sure you could make sure every inward-opening door is equipped with a simple rubber door stop! Shooters are looking for easy victims; if a door appears to be locked or is too hard to open they will go on to the next one.

I found this commercial door stop at Amazon. It’s meant to block doors with an up to 1 ½ inch gap.

Shepherd Hardware 9133 Door Stop, 1-Pack, Brown

At a cost of less than $5, I would buy one for every non-secure door in my building!

Be ready to take action. Train family members and neighbors, too. This is life-saving information.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide team


Self-Defense for The Rest of Us

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self-defense against street crime

Times are unsettling.

Whenever we experience a big disaster, whether it’s a man-made massacre, a devastating hurricane, or a raging epidemic — we all jump immediately into survival mode. Chances are greater that we might be attacked or simply caught up in an event that suddenly turns dangerous. We need to be ready to defend ourselves in these circumstances.And for people who are prepared, survival includes self-defense.

Keeping out of trouble is the very best form of self-defense.

For most of us this means simply staying at home, avoiding planned demonstrations, not being drawn to accident scenes. Staying at home, even after a wide spread disaster, is easy enough if you’ve taken basic steps to store food, water, medicines, etc.

If you must go out to replenish supplies, keep a low profile. And have a plan to get away from trouble if you feel you are heading into it! Know where you are going, and have an alternate route in case you need it. Avoid wearing flashy clothes and carrying purses or packs that could catch the eye. Go with the crowd, but stay on the fringes so you can get away quickly if necessary.

Mini-Series from Emergency Plan Guide

UPDATE 2021: We’ve expanded the whole topic of self-defense this last year by devoting one of our Mini-Series books to the topic. Read this Advisory, then come back to this block to find out more about the Mini-Series and Personal Safety.

But if you must protect yourself . . .

1 – What about stocking up on guns and ammunition?

I must admit to seeing a big increase lately in emails coming across my desk that advertise weapons, including all sorts of guns. Some messages promise information about how to get guns legally and illegally. Others promote accessories that will make guns easier to draw, quieter to shoot and harder to notice when you are carrying them on your body.

Now if you have been reading our Advisories for a while, you know that Joe and I both have histories with firearms. Joe was in the military. I hunted with my Dad starting at about age 12. So we are comfortable with guns.

But our Emergency Plan Guide mission is to create more resilient citizen responders and resilient communities. That includes senior citizens, young people, employee groups, etc. We try to stick with plans that are suitable for most everyone. In our estimation, a gun-owner needs a special mind-set and special training in order to be a valuable member of the community.

So, in this Advisory we are looking at other options for personal safety and self-defense.

2 – Martial arts skills are a potent defense for some.

If you are a trained martial arts master there is no doubt you might have a much better chance of surviving a violent attack by someone even with a weapon. In fact, nearly everyone can become more skilled, without having to become a master. (I’ve seen classes advertised for kids, for young women – “Don’t get raped” — and for senior citizens.)

I think even I could handle several of the self-defense moves illustrated in this article: http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_1376_16-self-defense-moves-to-impress-your-friends-muggers/

But – and here’s the big caution. I am NOT in the best shape of my life, nor have I trained or practiced these moves. So I’m NOT confident that I would remember exactly which move to apply when. What about you?

In other words, unless you are willing to sign up for a professional class and become proficient if not professional, a casual approach to martial arts is probably as useless and dangerous as a casual approach to guns.

3 – When you have to fight, your ultimate goal is still to get away.

There may be a time when your “antennae” just didn’t work and you can’t avoid a person who is threatening you. (Like the guy in the image above.)

Or, and I hate to say this, YOU may have provoked a situation by threatening, annoying or insulting someone (Road rage? Street protest?) to the point they attack you. At that moment, you need to be able to let go of your own emotions and recognize the danger you’ve put yourself in!

Either way, if you decide that you must fight for your life, then commit to it. Any half-hearted attempt will be inadequate and could put you in even more danger.

Some self-protection suggestions that make sense for me.

  • First, yell sharply and loudly right in the face of the attacker!
    “BACK OFF!” makes it clear you are not going to be a willing victim. Your aggressive resistance may even be enough to make the attacker look for an easier victim. Note you are yelling at the attacker, not yelling for “Help!” from some unknown source.
  • Then, use what you have or can find as an improvised weapon.
    If you have keys in your hand, use a key to scratch or cut. Hurl a cup of hot coffee. Toss dirt or sand. Spray an attacker with perfume or hairspray.
    Use what you can to distract the attacker so you can get away.
  • Consider “weaponized” personal items for self-defense.
    Any device is useless unless you understand how to use it, and you have it in your hand ready to use. This takes us right back to “mental attitude.” Here are some ordinary items that become weapons if you use them that way. Click the blue links under the images to go to Amazon to get current prices and full details. (We are Amazon Associates. If you buy using our link we may get a small commission. Your price is the same.)

Examples of weaponized personal items

I try to carry a flashlight all the time, for light and as a weapon.  

Lately, we have the choice of “tactical” flashlights that serve both purposes. My favorite “tactical” flashlights have a ridged grip that won’t slip and a sharp front edge that would cut seriously when used as a slashing weapon. A wrist strap means you won’t drop it so easily. (The image shows just one flashlight. You can order a pack of two from this company, too. Just click the box on the sales page.)

Tactical Flashlight, YIFENG XML T6 Ultra Bright LED Flashlight with Adjustable Focus and 5 Light Modes for Camping Hiking Emergency (1 pack)

I also like to carry a “tactical pen.”

Here’s a picture of one of my pens attached to my small, cross-body purse. (Not when I climb on an airplane, though.)

Purse with weapon

This purse looks pretty ordinary. And the pen is almost invisible. But it’s easy to grab, solid, has a pointed end and a thumb rest on the other end for a secure grip. It could break a window, too. There are other pens that are more pen than weapon, and pens with other tools built in. (see example below).

Tactical Pen Multitool Survival Gadget – LED Flashlight + Screwdriver + Emergency Window Breaker – EDC Pocket Gear – Unique Birthday Gift for Men and Women – Survival Self Defense Military SWAT Weapon

And two dedicated self-defense items you should know about

Carrying guns or knives requires a level of training outside the scope of this Emergency Plan Guide Advisory. But there are other options to consider. The items below are NOT expensive — and they work. Check them out.

Please be aware that laws regarding stun guns and pepper spray vary. Before you buy either or both, check with your own state. Here’s a link to get you started on that legal research.

Stun gun.

You hold a stun gun in your hand.  When you press it against the body of an attacker, its “electrical punch” can completely disable and disorient him for seconds or minutes, giving you the chance to get away. Before you purchase, be sure a stun gun is legal in your state or county. (For a lot more on stun guns – and tasers, which we do NOT recommend — see our earlier Advisory.)

I like the model shown below because it has a safety disable pin. If you lose control of the gun, the pin pulls out and it won’t shoot. It comes with a wrist strap, too – and in pink and black.

VIPERTEK VTS-979 – 53 Billion Stun Gun – Rechargeable with Safety Disable Pin LED Flashlight, Black

Pepper spray

As I just said, for your stun gun to work, you have to press it against your attacker’s body. That means the attacker is VERY CLOSE to you!

That’s why I prefer to carry a canister of pepper spray. It can shoot a spray at least 8-10 feet. Anyone over 18 can buy and carry pepper spray. These days you can also get pepper spray as a gel or as a foam. They have the same basic capsaicin ingredient and serve the same purpose. The gel isn’t as likely to blow back onto you in a confined space, but you may have to do a better job of aiming. Most important feature of the gel: it goes at least 6 feet farther.

Finally, if you purchase any pepper product, check your canister carefully. Note its expiration date.

Here’s a pepper spray one I recommend. It has a pocket clip and actually shoots 10 ft. (We tested it.) with up to 35 bursts. (This brand also comes in pink, with a key-chain attachment. Pick the one that works best for you!)

Be sure to read all the instructions and safety precautions!

There are now pepper sprays in GEL format and in FOAM format! They have the same basic capsaicin ingredient and serve the same purpose of self-defense. But neither is as likely as spray to blow back onto you in a confined space! Moreover, pepper gel goes a good 6 feet farther than either spray or foam, so you can use it from a safer distance. The gel doesn’t spread out as much though, so you may have to be better at aiming.

Click on the link below to get to a sample of gel made by SABRE. I own the SABRE spray and find it fits my hand well, and it looks as though the gel is packaged pretty much the same way

SABRE Pepper Gel with Attachment Clip, 35 Bursts (5X The Competition), 12-Foot (4-Meter) Range, Gel is Safer, UV Marking Dye, Twist Lock Safety

Finally, if you purchase any pepper product, check your canister carefully and note its expiration date.

Should you make a change in what you normally carry on your person? (Don’t store pepper spray in the car where temperatures could get so high it might explode!) Should some of your family members have one or more of these self-defense items?

Remember if you are faced with any of these emergencies – while you are shopping, jogging or simply resting on a park bench — you will only be able to protect yourself if you act without hesitation . . .

  • Assess the situation.
  • Decide what to do.
  • Do it!

Here’s to your safety,

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

P.S. If you’ve read all the way through to here, then you will want to know whether bear spray is legal. The answer? It depends — on the state and even on the country! Generally, bear spray is meant for defense against — you guessed it — a bear attack. Carrying it may be legal. Using it against a person is illegal.


A New Source of Fear

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Malcolm Nance Gooks

Recommended Resources

A Dose of Reality on ISIS and the Terrorism Risks

Virginia writes: “Terrorism is not a favorite topic of ours. A couple of months ago I wrote to provide some updated statistics. I figured that would hold us for a while. Today, though, recent news has compelled us to write again on this topic, from a different perspective. You may recall that Joe has background in military intelligence, so he has authored this Advisory.”

The 17th of May, 2015 was one of the most important days in the battle to defeat ISIS.

It marked the successful conclusion of one of the most important missions undertaken by US Special Forces – a raid on the operational center for the entire ISIS organization.

The center housed comprehensive files on the ISIS government and fighting forces in Iraq and Syria, from the leadership right down to the rank and file of their organization. And it was all on computer.

The Obama Administration authorized the undertaking. The target, located in Eastern Syria near Deir ez-Zor directly in the heart of ISIS occupied territory, was heavily fortified. Despite the defense of the target, it was completely overrun.

Our Special Forces returned with the electronic keys to the kingdom in the form of as much as seven terabytes of data that included virtually all of the financial transactions, resources (including payroll and biometric records) on their officials, their army and captives as well as addresses, cellphone numbers and the IP addresses of their remote locations.

This coup yielded the battlefield intelligence our forces needed to begin a systematic program to eliminate (or “vaporize”) — in the place and time of our choosing – ISIS leaders and key personnel.

This 2015 mission marked a turning point in the fight against the ISIS terrorist organization.

As the operation continued, it has had particular importance to us on the home fronts in the US, Europe and the Middle East. It means that there will be fewer skilled terrorists re-entering the country, and because we have more complete data on many of those who manage to escape the lethal battlefield, they are easier to apprehend.

Thus, as might be expected, we can expect more terrorist strikes by “amateurs.”

They will choose targets of opportunity, selected at random – which makes such attacks harder to anticipate and defend against. And, while any one person’s odds of being a victim of terrorism are small, each attack that appears on the news meets a goal of the organization, to frighten the populace and inspire the gullible.

On the news today we heard an interview with Malcolm Nance, expert on intelligence and terrorism, speaking about the latest ISIS recruiting effort using a 10-year old “American Boy.” Details are still sketchy, but Nance’s comments followed the theme developed above. Now that ISIS fighters are systematically being removed, ISIS propaganda is aimed at widows and children, hoping to turn them into suicide bombers!

I have confidence in Nance’s assessments, and have gone so far as to purchase and study three of the many books he has written over the past 10 years or so. (The image at the top of this Advisory shows me with two of his most recent books.) If you want to understand more, I recommend these three highly:

Hacking Isis focuses on the “cyber” aspect of ISIS’s recruiting and communications, and what we are doing to track and defeat them in cyberspace.

The Plot to Hack America details how Putin and WikiLeaks “tried to steal the 2016 election.” Obviously we learn more about this story every single day . . .

The Terrorist Recognition Handbook, first written in 2003 and updated in 2014, is a heavy-duty 394 page textbook on terrorist activities, with a particularly compelling chapter about suicide terrorism.

What can we do to protect ourselves, here at home and abroad?

For you and us, the best defense is the advice we have given repeatedly . . . “Situational Awareness!”

Train yourself to constantly take stock of where you are and what is going on around you. Always be cognizant of vulnerable crowd situations, how and where to exit dangerous situations and, above all, exercise caution and intelligence about how, when and where to bury your nose in your tablet or smart phone.

As for self-protection in random attacks, it is highly unlikely that any weapon or self-defense training will prove more useful than fleeing the scene or finding some place to hide and letting the professionals handle the attacker.

You may have a chance against a single attacker whose motive is intimidation, harassment or burglary, depending of course on your age, physical condition and self-defense skills. We have written before about simple weapons that you can use competently and conveniently. One of the simplest and most effective is a sturdy mechanical pen or pencil. Better yet is a “tactical pen” that is an actual ball point pen made of sturdy steel. Proper use of this “weapon” can effectively wound an attacker, seriously enough to make escape possible . . . or, even mortally wound the assailant.

But the story is different when faced with an active shooter or a knife-wielding assailant whose sole motivation is to kill you – and who isn’t worried about his own life. Even a citizen carrying a knife or gun may find it ineffective or worse, may lose control of the weapon and find it turned on them.

The bottom line — the more aware you are, the less likely you will be caught up in a dangerous situation, and the less likely you will need a weapon.  Practice awareness!

Joseph Krueger
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

IEDs — Improvised Explosive Devices — In Your Neighborhood

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IED soda cansAs I pulled out into the street today, I noticed a cardboard box on the curb, with trash spilling out of it. It hadn’t been there yesterday.

Suddenly a thought flashed into my head – could this be a bomb?

I drove off and forgot about it until later, when two news reports practically jumped off my computer screen at me.

IEDs in the today’s news.

  • Fox News reported that two brothers in Pennsylvania were arrested for building and detonating multiple IEDs in their own community over winter break from college. (Nobody was injured.)
  • A completely different article mentioned that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two boys responsible for the Columbine High School attack in 1999, had built and placed 99 IEDs as part of their plan. (15 students were killed and more than 20 injured.)

Of course, we’re familiar with IEDs in wartime settings. For a few years that seemed to be the biggest part of the news coming from Afghanistan.

But that was elsewhere. This article is about IEDs here in the U.S. and about the importance of “situational awareness.”

If IEDs are so easy to build that kids can do it, we can only assume that more explosions will take place, just like the ones reported on today.

How can we protect ourselves?

We need to know more.

This advisory is meant only as the briefest introduction. We are not explosives experts and, unlike most of the equipment we write about here, we have not personally tested any of the items we may talk about.

The questions we asked today . . .

What is an IED?

The name says it all. An improvised explosive device is not a traditional military weapon. It can be made out of a combination of “found” and conventional materials. An IED has five components: a switch to set it off, an initiator (fuse or blasting cap), the charge or explosive, some sort of power source, typically a battery, and a container to hold it all.

The image at the top of this article includes a couple of regular coke cans and two IEDs – the soda can upper left whose bottom has been punctured and “resealed,”  and the yellow Fanta can with the battery power source and fuse stranding beside it, ready to be inserted (yellow can image thanks to Renful Premier Technologies).

The bomb can be set to go off using a timer, or when it is jostled, driven over or stepped on, remotely by radio frequency, or by a suicide bomber him or herself.

What does the IED do?

It explodes. Depending on the size of the bomb, its blast (with smoke, shrapnel and heat) can spread for 100’s of yards. A bomb aimed at bringing down people can be filled with nails, pellets, rocks, etc. to create more injuries.

Of course, an IED could as easily be filled with “dirty” radioactive material.

How can we recognize an IED?

Not easily. Of course, bomb detection technologies continue to be developed. They include machines – and dogs – that can detect traces of explosives in the air.

But everything I read, including several reports from Homeland Security, says that even security personnel can only look for:

  1. People exhibiting unusual or suspicious behavior (the guys in the airport each wearing just one glove!)
  2. Items where they don’t belong (an abandoned backpack – or that box of trash on the street by my house)

“Soft targets” of course will likely be the most attractive to bombers. These include landmarks, special events (like the Boston Marathon, or sporting events), infrastructure including transportation systems, and malls and parks.

All these are easy to get into, and often people are unfamiliar with the venue and thus will not notice things or people that are out of place.

What can we do?

In 2013 President Obama signed a special report: Countering Improvised Explosive Devices. The only paragraph in it that appeared useful to me was:

“[We must] Improve public awareness of IED threats and corresponding reporting of suspicious activity to local authorities through enhanced information sharing resources;”

So, the number one thing we can do is be alert to our surroundings, and report anything suspicious.

  • If we see something that feels or looks doubtful, has a weird smell, is leaking or dripping — report it immediately to authorities.
  • If we notice someone buying large quantities of what could be bomb-making supplies — chemicals, fertilizers, fuses, tape, peroxide — take note and report. (The Pennsylvania brothers purchased multiple cans of lighter fluid.)

Obviously, if you’re familiar with a given environment, you will be the best person to sense that something is out of the ordinary.

It’s the simple rule that our local police repeat often:

“See something? Say something!”

So, start paying more attention to your environment. Train your kids to get their noses out of their cell phones. This is a case where YOU have the biggest role to play for the safety of all.

Virginia
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team

P.S. I feel there is a lot more to this topic. If you are interested in more details, check out this recent article from Jan Glarum, counter-terrorism consultant and instructor:

http://www.abetteremergency.com/blog/2016/04/ieds-training-impact/

And the report from the Department of Homeland Security, quoted from above:

https://tripwire.dhs.gov/IED/resources/docs/Countering%20Improvised%20Explosive%20Devices.pdf

 

 

 

How dangerous are Lone Wolf terrorists?

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totally unaware of her surroundings

Totally unaware of her surroundings . . .

Next week our city police force and first responders are holding a mock active shooter exercise in a local shopping mall. Inspired at least in part by the 2013 invasion of the Westgate Mall in Kenya, it’s also a response to the growing numbers of “home-grown” or self-radicalized would-be terrorists. In many ways these self-styled terrorists seem to pose a bigger threat than actual members of terrorist organizations.

Real Terrorists Plan Their Attacks

At least real terrorist cells fit a profile. They belong to a network, they prepare for a strike, and they pick targets that are likely to generate mass casualties and publicity. They are also more likely to be in communication with known terrorist cells, at least some of which could already be under some level of surveillance. These and other factors make it easier to identify and track them.

Lone Wolves Act on Impulse

The self-motivated, lone wolf actor is harder to identify, is more likely to be mentally unstable and less likely to pick rational targets. Perhaps the most worrisome aspect is the likelihood that this person is likely to act spontaneously and against a target of opportunity . . . virtually anyone that happens to be in their range. And, the mere fact that we live in a world where guns proliferate means that the tools of terrorism are readily available even to the least mentally competent. As scary as this may seem, there are some positives.

Self-Motivated Actors Often Fail to Follow Through on Threats

First, while these individuals may be numerous and hard to identify prior to an event, the attacks are likely to involve fewer people and less prominent targets. And, without direct connections to actual terrorist cells, they are less likely to be successful in mass attacks. Also, many will ultimately lack the courage to actually carry out the often gruesome and heinous acts these individuals conjure up in their fantasies.

Protect Yourself by Staying Aware of Your Surroundings

The best protection you have is your situational awareness . . . the same situational awareness that can keep you out of harm’s way. This means keeping your eyes on the way ahead, the road ahead and your surroundings – discipline yourself to avoid being glued to your smartphone while walking through alligator alley! Have your keys at the ready as you approach your car. If you notice someone strange for whatever reason, don’t ignore your instincts. Take evasive action. Turn in a safer direction. Whatever!

So many victims have reported that they were operating “on autopilot” and just kept going – right into danger!

A Single Lone Wolf Can be Taken Down by a Group

If you are in a life-threatening situation, instead of simply waiting for it to happen, consider a counter attack. A group of determined adults can very likely take down any single gunman. Yes, this goes against our training (“Keep out of trouble.”) but in the case of a Lone Wolf Terrorist, “Get him!” may be the only way to save more innocent people from being injured or killed.

Joe Krueger
Your Emergency Plan Guide Team