WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO TO PROTECT THEMSELVES?
The number one way to protect yourself and others from an IED attack is to be alert to your sur-
roundings. Advanced technologies help police and other authorities detect possible dangers, but
an even more effective tool is to encourage individuals to be alert for, and to report, anything that
is out of the ordinary in their daily routine. Examples include bags or boxes in unusual places,
unusual smells, and suspicious behaviors such as someone dressed in a heavy coat in summer.
Steps to Take if You See Something Suspicious
“If you see it, say it!”
It can be difficult to determine when to report something suspicious. People most familiar with a
given environment are in the best position to determine whether or not something is out of the
ordinary. Use common sense, and follow these guidelines:
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Trust your instincts; if something feels wrong, don’t ignore it.
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Do not assume that someone else has already reported it.
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Call local authorities.
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Keep your distance from a suspicious package—do not approach or tamper with it.
When you make a report, be ready to provide your name, your location, a description of what you think
is suspicious, and the time you saw it. The responding officer will assess the situation, ensure the area
is evacuated and call for appropriate personnel and equipment. Technologies used to assess whether a
package contains explosive material may include portable x-ray systems or bomb disposal robots.
Make a Personal Plan for Response
Preparation is key. Every person can take these steps to prepare for an IED attack:
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Learn the emergency procedures at your place of work, any other sites you visit regularly, and
any public transportation systems you use. Communication systems may be inoperable in an
emergency, and you should be familiar with what steps to take.
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Know how to get out of the area. If you work far from home, plan backups to get home if the
usual modes of transit are not operating.
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Know the routes to hospitals in your community.
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Take a first aid course.
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Make a family emergency plan. Remember that family members may be in separate locations
at the time of an attack. Use planning tools at ready.gov to prepare yourself and your family,
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Designate an “out-of-area” contact, and make sure that everyone in your family has that
person’s phone number.
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Have an emergency supply kit at work and at home that includes water and non-perishable
food to last at least three days, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, flashlights, and batteries.
WHAT TO DO DURING AN IED ATTACK
If you are at the immediate site of an IED attack, your top priority is to get out of the area.
This increases your safety in case a secondary device is present in the area and minimizes your
exposure to dust, smoke, and any hazardous substances that may have been released as a result
of the blast. This also allows emergency responders to find and assist the most critically injured
victims.
If you are in a building:
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Get under a sturdy table or desk if objects are falling around you.
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Exit as quickly as possible, without stopping to retrieve personal possessions or make phone
calls. Assist other victims to leave the area if possible. Use stairs instead of elevators. Be aware
of weakened floors and stairways, and watch for falling debris as you exit the building.
Once you are out of the building:
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Move away from windows, glass doors, or other potentially hazardous areas.
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Continue moving away from the blast site and look for emergency officials who will direct
you to a safe location.
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Be aware that secondary explosions may occur at or near the original bombing site, especially
as rescue personnel arrive. Use caution to avoid debris that could be hot, sharp, or cause
puncture wounds.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS?
The extent of damage caused by an IED depends on its size, construction, and placement, and
whether it incorporates a high explosive or propellant. Table 2 predicts the damage radius based
on the volume or weight of explosive (TNT equivalent) and the type of bomb. Vehicle bombs,
also know as vehicle-borne IEDs, can carry significantly more explosive material, and therefore
do more damage.
Damage to Structures and to Infrastructure
An explosion in or near a building or public transportation venue may blow out windows; destroy
walls; and shut down building systems such as power, ventilation, fire suppression, water/sewage, and
others. Exit routes may be disrupted or destroyed, and smoke and dust may travel upward through stair-
ways and elevator shafts, making navigation difficult. Building
failure may result in the release of hazardous materials used
within a building, such as radioactive material from medical
devices, or incorporated within the structure of a building,
such as asbestos insulation. An IED attack may cause disrup-
tions in municipal services such as electricity, water, commu-
nications, and transportation, which may continue for days to
weeks after the attack. Individuals and businesses should have
a plan for addressing these interruptions.
The Possibility of Secondary Devices
and/or Multiple Explosions
A known bomber tactic is to use a distraction, such as gun-
fire, small bombs, or other surprises, to attract bystanders
to a window, a doorway, or outside, and then to detonate
a second destructive device at the gathering point. In an
attack, there may be bombings at multiple locations. Rescue efforts can be hampered by the need
to respond to more than one site.
Secondary Hazards
The explosion of a bomb can cause secondary explosions if gasoline, natural gas, or other flammable
material is ignited. Secondary hazards that result can include fire with possibly toxic smoke, disrup-
tion of electric power, ruptured natural gas lines and water mains, and debris. There can be loss of
traffic control in the area of the blast with possible traffic accidents involving fleeing citizens.
Immediate Health Effects
Explosions create a high-pressure blast that sends debris flying and lifts people off the ground. The
type of injuries and the number of people hurt will vary depending on: the physical environment
and the size of the blast; the amount of shielding between victims and the blast; fires, or structural
damage that result from the explosion; and whether the explosion occurs in a closed space or an
open area. Injuries common to explosions include:
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Overpressure damage to the lungs, ears, abdomen, and other pressure-sensitive organs. Blast
lung injury, a condition caused by the extreme pressure of an explosion, is the leading cause
of illness and death for initial survivors of an explosion.
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Fragmentation injuries caused by projectiles thrown by the blast – material from the bomb,
shrapnel, or flying debris that penetrates the body and causes damage.
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Impact injuries caused when the blast throws a victim into another object, i.e. fractures,
amputation, and trauma to the head and neck.
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Thermal injuries caused by burns to the skin, mouth, sinus, and lungs.
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Other injuries including exposure to toxic substances, crush injuries, and aggravation of pre-
existing conditions (asthma, congestive heart failure, etc.).
Delayed Health Effects
Some health effects caused by IEDs, including eye injuries and abdominal injuries, may not be
apparent initially, but can cause symptoms and even fatalities hours to months after the event.
Psychological effects in attack survivors, first responders, and others are not unusual in the after-
math of a high-casualty event. While most symptoms diminish with time, in some cases assistance
and guidance from mental health professionals may be required.
The number one way
to protect yourself
and others from
an IED attack is
to be alert to your
surroundings.
Table 2.
Courtesy U.S. Technical Support
Working Group (TSWG)
Detecting IEDs
Detection of IEDs presents a real
challenge for security screeners,
employees, first responders, and
military personnel. Training secu-
rity guards, airport staff, and other
personnel to be alert for suspi-
cious behavior and IED indicators
is the most common and best
defense. Various bomb detection
technologies continue to be devel-
oped for use in high-risk areas
or situations such as airports and
high profile events. These tech-
nologies include “trace detectors”
that identify trace amounts of com-
monly used explosives in the air,
and “millimeter-wave technology”
that detects dense objects, hidden
under clothes. Explosives-detection
dogs, trained to detect and locate
chemical explosives, are used in
many security scenarios.
If You are a Business Owner
Be aware. Many commercial products
can be used to construct IEDs. Here
are some simple steps you can take to
avoid unwittingly enabling an attack:
• Recognize hazardous chemicals in
your product inventory.
• Check your inventory and report
missing or stolen products.
• Ask for customer identification and
maintain a log of large purchases.
• Know your customers and report
suspicious or unusual purchases to
authorities.
• Watch for suspicious behavior, which
can include:
– Nervousness.
– Vague knowledge of a product’s
proper use.
– Purchasing unusual quantities of
a product.
– Large cash purchases.
– In storage facilities, custom-
ers utilizing a facility at unusual
hours; odors, liquids, or fumes
coming from a storage unit; dis-
carded chemical containers.
FBI-DHS offers advisory materials for
the private sector.