Terrorist Scenarios

News reports regularly report on incidents involving terrorists or crazed gunmen laying siege to hordes of innocent people. What actions would you take if suddenly thrown into this situation? What actions were crucial for survival?

Unfortunately, there is no 100% guarantee of coming out of a terrorist situation alive. Nonetheless, armed with an arsenal of behaviors, skills, and tips, you can efficiently increase the chances of survival.

In the first place, always be aware of the surroundings. We tend to either be raptly engaged in activity or immersed in our own private thoughts. As a result, our normal behavior doesn 't lend itself to staying safe. There are key behaviors and scenarios that should send out an alert.

1. Watch out for people

Learn the building 's setup and the locations of exits. Arrive as early as possible to find the closest exits and where they lead. Identify 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 provide safety when used for its own purpose.

COVER
Cover is a barrier strong enough to serve as protection from ammo rounds or low-grade bomb blasts. Structures made of marble, concrete or brick would fall under this classification.

CONCEALMENT
The purpose of concealment is to remove you from the attacker 's line of vision. Concealment won 't prevent a hit by gunfire, but it can obscure the assailant 's view. Excellent concealment includes the inner walls of buildings, vehicles, bushes, trees, and thick shrubs.

A handy safety item to have with you at all times is a pocket flashlight. A quick flash in an attacker 's eyes can flood his retina with light. This can induce momentary spot blindness than can provide valuable time to find a safe place to hide or escape the

If under attack, it 's essential to keep moving A moving target is 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 leave by an alternate route. Exit through windows or hop across barriers and move against the flow of the crowd. Moving away from a mob also decreases the chance of becoming a victim of a dangerous stampede.

Keep moving and stay close to the walls. But beware, a bullet ricochet often travels along walls and floors. Move as quickly as possible to lower the chances of getting hit. Keep moving until safely beyond the major area of danger. A number of terrorist attacks involve second or even third strikes at the