Bismark,
My apologies, I am certainly not trying to hijack your thread. We are discussing a active shooter/Paris style attack on the Combat Forum. Since this thread is discussing the attack and all its political nuances, I thought all should take a short break and consider the real possibly of an attack in your area. I just left an intelligence briefing about possible targets. PWI has a much larger audience than the Combat Forum, hopefully some of the suggestions will at least trigger a more thoughtful awareness. May each of you, and your families, have a safe and happy holiday season.
Active Shooter - Combat - Forums - T Nation
Situational Awareness - Combat - Forums - T Nation
Disclaimer: Some of these suggestions will probably be read as paranoid, well, I am a little paranoid and twitchy, but, I came by it honestly.
Note: I am going to use the word âspouseâ to incorporate all relationships. âFamiliesâ can mean any group of individuals you are responsible for.
1.Know who you are with:
It is one thing to attend a social gathering, go to a ballgame, or peruse the malls with individuals who are trained for violence (military, LEO, PSD, corporate security) and quite another to be with people who only have experienced violence through video games. Realize they will have no situational awareness, nor, the training to help you survive an attack.
Realize that developing even a simple tactical plan will be met with skepticism and any attempt to make them understand will probably be futile. Do the best you can, but, have your own plan for survival, do not let well-meaning civilians comprise your strategy.
On the other spectrum, being with someone who is trained and especially armed is a real bonus and simple plans can be made driving to the venue. Just establish who will do what, who is the driver, who is the primary shooter, who is responsible for hunting exit locations, while the other or others provide protection, etc.
2.Yourself:
Being alone during an attack and your response will basically come down to the fight or flight reflex. IMHO, what you will do, will be based on your psychological mindset, your training, your experience with violence, your profession. Be honest with yourself and your abilities to combat violence, experience has taught me that men have a tendency to overestimate their combat abilities and usually just die on the scene. I donât know what yours are, but, decide what you are going to do, before you arrive at the venue. In the middle of the attack is no time to be making the decision.
- Family:
Unless you are trapped and facing death, this decision is already made for you. You must get your family off the âXâ and out of the primary attack zone. There should be no attempt at heroics when the ones you love are counting on you to provide leadership. As Mapwrap already discussed, know what you are going to do, where to take the family, running to the nearest store in a mall and finding the back door is excellent advice.
Often, terrorists on a major attack will place shooters at the main exits and kill as many as they can as they run out. Know where all the exits are, take the time to drive or walk around your venue, learn where the exit doors are, where the service entrances are, where the security kiosks or police substations are, where the exit roads are, where are the bottlenecks that a VBIED could be parked.
Spouse and Children:
As much as I would like to assume your spouse is highly trained (man or woman) the odds are they are not, so, it is up to you to develop a basic plan. Have a quiet, serious talk and go over some basic strategy, Outline the need to be situationally aware, inform them what can happen and stress that they are also responsible for helping survive an attack. I know itâs common for families to go shopping and split up, each going to their own preferred venue, but, during the holidays, that is a major tactical mistake. You donât want to have some family member on one end of the mall and you on the other. Stay together, stay close.
If you have children with you, one of you must be the primary protector, it is simply too distracting to watch the kids and watch for an attack at the same time. Having small children is a dynamic all its own, I know. I once was part of a team that was providing security for a Coca-Cola executive and his family below the border and trying to run with a screaming 4 year old under your arm and returning fire with one hand is for the movies.
Decide who carries the child and who looks for exits, who will take point and who will not. Your spouse must recognize the threat and be able to function in a terrifying situation. Teach basic commands in a loud voice: Get the kids, get Tommy, grab my belt, run to the back of the store, etc. Simple commands, they work, because they are simple.
Have a shopping schedule and stick to it. Know the stores you want to visit, go there, do what you need to do and then leave. Try to arrange for visits during non-peak times. When the mall first opens at 1000 is much safer than 1900, remember terrorists use the maxim amount of destruction for the maximum amount of media coverage. I occasionally have to go to the Afghan government palace and I donât go there after 1400, which is prime hit time here.
- Attack Dynamics:
Talk to your spouse about a possible attack and the ramifications of being caught up in the situation. The noise will be horrible, especially if they detonate a suicide vest first to soften up the guards/resistance or create mass panic which leads to easy targets. Try to make your spouse understand that people will be screaming and dying, and, if they have never experienced this type of violence, will probably go catatonic. This is a natural reaction that you must stop immediately, either by verbal commands or simply slapping the shit out of them.
You must get off the kill zone, you must survive or the kids will die. Try to convey how bad the panic will be and stress how important it is to follow your pre discussed plan and how you need to hyper focus on leaving by a safe exit, even to the point of running by people crying for help. You and the spouse have a family and nothing else matters. Harsh, I know, but there is a reason we leave a wounded member in a door way, itâs because we have to kill the threat, or, others will die. There is a reason you are leaving, so your family will live.
5.Vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED):
Almost all major attacks start with some type of VBIED, especially if the goal is major venue. I have been around them for the past 9 years and I am totally paranoid about vehicles. I have certain rules about parking lots around large retail outlets and malls. I always park as far away from the main entrance as I can, yes, your family will bitch about the extra walking, but, car bombs are not placed where they do the least damage. Would you rather have your family walk a little or park close to an entrance and die from an explosion?
Remember, terrorists donât park anywhere but out front, so, even if they are not using a car bomb, when they exit the vehicle they are already shooting. I would think you would rather see that from a distance.
If it can be avoided, I never walk between parked vehicles, especially in front of large venues. In fact, I will often circle a parking lot just to avoid being between parking lanes. Humans are creatures of habits and terrorists know this, they know you will walk to shortest distance to the market or entrance to a venue. One terrorist with a pair of binoculars and a cell phone can detonate a car bomb at any time. Donât be stupid and lazy, take the long way around, if possible.
- Vehicles:
Thou any vehicle can be used as a VBIED, I am paranoid about certain vehicles: Toyota Camrys, brown or gray in color and made in the 1990âs (the all-time favorite), small white pickup trucks, like the Hillux and especially avoid large garbage and cement mixer trucks, which can carry enough explosives to level a small mountain. I was in the wrong place when they blew the t-walls surrounding the old Baghdad hotel using a cement mixer truck, outside static security died instantly and then the ground forces moved in. You see any of these vehicles parked near an entrance to a venue or driving toward one, stay the hell away until they prove what they are.
- Motorcycles:
A quick word about motorcycles. In both Baghdad and Islamabad, I have had experiences with terrorists using motorcycles to drive up to a vehicle and detonate a bomb carried in a backpack or pull up in front to some cafe, Embassy entrance, military checkpoint, etc. and either detonate or open fire with an AK. It makes me extremely twitchy to have some biker in the US pull up in the lane next to me, and never trust someone who drives a motorcycle up to a venue entrance wearing a backpack or a large coat, never know if they are there to detonate. Vacate the area until their intentions are known.
- Weapons and Equipment:
I agree with Mapwrap about not engaging the attackers, even, if you are armed, unless you are simply trapped and going to die anyway. You will probably be armed with a handgun and they simply donât match up against AKâs or M-4âs. A major assault will not be made with .22âs, so, you will be severely out gunned. And for those of you carrying, carry at least two extra magazines. Donât bitch about your comfort, just remember, AKâS have 30 round magazines, you donât.
Use your weapon to fight for an exit or fight to allow your family time to escape, not for offense. What you chose to carry is of course your decision and based on what laws your state has on the books. I donât know if ASP batons are legal in your state, but, they make a good striking weapon and are easily concealable. Walking around a mall, like Mapwrap said, look for improvised weapons, even, tennis rackets make a good club. IMHO, always carry a small powerful belt flashlight, knife (legal length) and a cigarette lighter. Trying to find a way out for your family during a power outage, smoke, or garage tunnels is hell without a light. The knife has many uses and the lighter has abilities to create all sorts of problems.
- Harsh Reality:
You need to discuss with your spouse the reality that your family may be close to a suicide bomber when they detonate. You will either live or die. If you live, you will have severe disorientation for several minutes and your hearing will be completely screwed. If possible, do not make any moves until your hearing clears (if it does) and wait until the dizziness fades enough for you to try to make a rational decision on which way to flee. Stumbling around dazed and confused will just get you shot, better to lie still and play dead, than make a stupid decision.
Where there is one bomber, there are usually two. Talk to your spouse, acknowledge that one of you will probably die and the other one has the responsibilities to get the kids or themselves out. If they cannot handle this truth, then you have a real problem.
- I am no means and expert on family relations or mall survival, just things I have experienced.