When you are right of bang...
Brendan,
When I was an Ops SME with the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, (JIEDDO) and the AtN SME at Marine Corps Tactics Operations Group, (MCTOG) we use to say get left of bang. With that said, I want to discuss what you can do when you and your family are right of bang. What I’m driving at here is the fact we won’t always be able to get in-front of something bad occurring or left of the bang. So now that you find yourself in a bad situation no matter if it’s man-made such as IED’s, active shooter, vehicle ramming attacks or by mother nature e.g. an earthquake, tornado or hurricane. What can you do?
Truth be told most tragedies are not a result of a single incident or act, it is the culmination of several seemingly insignificant acts that combined lead to tragedy. Knowing this, have you stopped to consider your immediate actions if/when you and or your family are caught in a mass casualty event? What are your priorities? STOP: Stop – Think – Observe – Plan
Priority number 1 should be your safety and the safety of your family. If you are with your family ensure they are together, stay together and seek to evacuate the scene immediately. You want to get them at least one full city block away or enough distance you can worry less about secondary explosions or attacks targeting first responders. If you can evacuate via your vehicle, then put pedal to the metal and don’t look back. Getting your family to safety is your goal. However you may not be able to reach your vehicle so be prepared to maneuver on foot.
Let’s say you cannot evacuate the scene or maneuver your family one block or more away. Now you need to identify your stronghold. By this I mean find a secure area and lock it down.
Keep in mind, during such events there will be chaos and confusion. You may find that it is a better decision to stronghold your position until the scene is safe. This is a command decision you will have to make with the information at hand. You should look for a location off the beaten path and away from the attack site. You will want to secure the doors/points of entry and barricade them with whatever is available. Now is the time to collect as much info/intel as you can. However, this is also the time to begin conserving power on all your mobile devices. I recommend you create a rotation of every 30-60 minutes and power down all other devices. You can use this time to collect as much info as you can via social media and other sources. Specifically look for info to help you map out a few safe egress routes and once you decide to take action, move with a purpose.
Now let’s look at this as if you are with your family, but you are separated at the time of the attack/incident. This is the time to fall back to your link up plan. Remember to always create a rally point before you step out your front door with your family. You will be best served to keep this simple. For example, if we get split up in case of an emergency go to location X and wait X minutes. If we don’t link up there continue on to point XYZ and wait X minutes. You can use known terrain features or a physical address depending on your location. The point is to try and gain distance from the attack site while at the same time gathering your family members. You also need to include a communications plan to go along with your link up plan. Think of the acronym (PACE) Primary, Alternate, Contingent, Emergency. For example I tell my daughters if there is an emergency you touch base with family via a group text and to include your status and location. I recommend comm checks every hour on the hour. This means everyone should be checking in with a status report. If a family member doesn’t check in now you have to retrace their steps in an attempt to locate them. Bottom-line we don’t leave anyone behind. You may want to teach your family/children the acronym (SALUTE) Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, Equipment. This could help them relay information to you in a time of need. I recommend you download the Whatsapp to all the cell phones or tablets within your family. This is a great app if you or family members are OCONUS. www.whatsapp.com
Let’s cover separation in more detail. If a member of your family doesn’t check in, you should start to retrace their steps. You can start from their last known location. Depending on the situation and information at hand now could be the time to form two different teams/search parties. Your main team/body should stay at your stronghold or egress to a safer location. While you look for your missing child or family member. There are plenty of reasons why someone could miss a comms check but be prepared for the worse. Most likely the scene will still be unsecure and dangerous, there could be wounded and dead you must confront. Bottom-line do what you must.
Okay, now for a worst case scenario. You locate your family member and they are severely wounded/injured and not able to move on their own. Your first priority should be to ensure the scene or immediate area is safe. Then do your best to treat the injuries. The most common fatality in many of these types of situations is blood loss. It’s possible that medical teams cannot enter the scene till it is safe and you are now the first responder on scene to help your loved one. This highlights the importance of always carrying a tourniquet and some sort of medical kit on your person. In this case we are focusing on stopping the bleeding and using a tourniquet. Follow basic tourniquet procedures. However, if you don’t have a tourniquet or other medical supplies; you need to improvise. I recognize there are many other possible injuries that could require medical attention. I suggest being able to provide a basic level of care. You should be able to do a head to toe check, ABC’s, and stop the bleeding. Bottom-line, you should do what you can, where you can, with what you have. The will to survive. Never give up.
It is unfortunate that this is part of the world we live in. We need to recognize the fluid nature of our environment and prepare accordingly. Prepare to go the distance…
One Family. One Team. One Fight.
NEVER ABOVE YOU. NEVER BELOW YOU. ALWAYS BESIDE YOU.
Your Friend,
-T
2017 New York City Truck Attack
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_New_York_City_truck_attack
2016 Ohio State University Attack
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_State_University_attack
2016 Orlando Nightclub Shooting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_nightclub_shooting
2015 San Bernardino Attack
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_San_Bernardino_attack
2013 Boston Marathon Bombing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Marathon_bombing