Tips for Surviving a Modern Terrorist Attack
Introduction
Following the New Year’s Eve attacks, I wanted to write an article about what to do during a terror attack. It’s not a very pleasant topic to write about, but it is worth it if it helps just one person. Plus, I want to review some guidelines the Feds published some years back, which some may not know about.
Terrorism and active shooter situations are real. They exist and can happen when it’s least expected. They happen worldwide and they vary so much in time, place, location, the reason behind it, and the number of bad guys that it is impossible to predict them and model them.
Despite their unpredictability, there are still a few things that can help someone who just wants to stay alive. It is critical to have situational awareness and the ability to read the circumstances (read the room) so your reaction time is minimized. I like to get the layout of a place upon entry and locate exits. I will observe the atmosphere around me, identify any erratic behaviors, and monitor behaviors. I also look for weapons.
Remember, the bad guys choose the time and place. The only thing we can control is how we react.
The OODA Loop
My military and law enforcement friends introduced me to their fancy acronyms years ago. They have one that helps with assessing and reacting to active shooters and self-defense. If you suddenly find yourself at a location that’s under attack, quickly move through the OODA loop.
Observe - Figure out what’s going on. Is it an active shooter, knife attacker, robbery gone bad, or something else?
Orient - Determine the location and proximity of the attacker.
Decide - Choose what to do next. Will it be fight, flight, or freeze?
Act - Execute your decision.
Hopefully, you’ve already located the exits and have a weapon for defense. Before I leave home, I determine whether or not I can carry weapons at a destination. We cannot control the rules at other locations and sometimes we have to, or choose to, be at places that ban weapons. Understand that these are non-self-defense zones and require extra vigilance. Being aware of your surroundings in all situations is important but these locations require it. Knowing where the exits are will place you one step ahead of everyone else. Staying close to an exit will save you precious time.
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Run, Hide, Fight
The Federal Government’s guidelines for reacting to an active shooter are called “Run, Hide, Fight.” I believe they are based on the instinctive actions of survival: fight, flight, and freeze. I will break them down.
Run - Evacuate immediately. Locate an exit and run for it. Don’t worry about your belongings. They don’t matter if you’re dead. Just get out and help others out if needed. Run and keep running. Call 9-1-1 and keep your hands visible to the police. Follow all orders from the police.
Hide - If you can’t escape, hide. Find a place out of view from the shooter. Lock the door and barricade the door. Silence phones and pagers and remain quiet. Do not make any noise and hide behind large objects.
Fight - If escape and evasion are not possible, and your life is in imminent danger, then it’s time to fight. Call 911 and leave the line open for dispatch to listen. Look for improvised weapons and obtain them for use against the attacker. Act as aggressively as possible and yell. Defend your life at all costs.
Real Events
I will first give a brief overview of some real attacks and provide links for additional information about those events. Then I’ll wrap it up with some discussion.
Mumbai
Where I live, the most common response people would have to an active shooter or terrorist attack would be to draw a gun and aim center of mass. It would be nice if it were that easy. The Mumbai terrorist attack was anything but easy. The attack was a series of coordinated attacks that took place over three days, from November 26-29, 2008. Ten bad guys took out 175 people and wounded 300 more. Six Americans were among the dead. Those are the official numbers. The bad guys even took hostages. It was horrific. They split into small groups and kept in contact to coordinate their movements in the city. They aimed to maximize the death count and that’s what they did. Fortunately, the attacks were stopped, resulting in the deaths of all but one suspect. He would later be convicted and sentenced.
If you want to dive deeper into the attacks, start with the following article:
https://rusi.org/publication/terrorism-and-crowded-places-lessons-mumbai
The Bataclan/Paris Attacks
On November 13, 2015, there were a series of terrorist attacks in Paris. Bad guys hit multiple locations known for concerts, sporting events, and nightlife during a busy time of the evening. Suicide bombers set out to disrupt a soccer game, but they failed. 10 additional bad guys set out to cause havoc and mayhem at other locations in Paris. One of the six targeted locations was at a concert venue called the Bataclan, where a sold-out crowd of 1500 people was watching a heavy metal concert. The bad guys, armed with AK-47s, murdered 130 people, 90 of which were inside the theater. A total of 416 people were injured during the attacks.
The French often get a bad rap when it comes to their police or military strength, but on the night of the attacks, the police officers on duty were courageous. They entered the Bataclan and engaged the attackers. One of them was killed by his suicide vest when it was struck by gunfire. The terrorists were eventually stopped but not before carrying out their murder spree. To learn more about the attack, read this article, which has additional details about that night:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Paris-attacks-of-2015
London Bridge Attack
“F*** You, I’m Millwall!”
On June 3, 2017, a group of fanatics decided to attack people in London. At first, they drove around throwing Molotov cocktails and running people over. After crashing their ride, they went on foot, targeting people with ceramic knives strapped to their wrists. After killing several people, they ended up facing local soccer fan Roy Larner who fought them while others escaped the restaurant they were in. As they shouted their usual Aloha Snackbar line, Roy shouted back, “F*** You, I’m Millwall!”
Larner showed immense courage and bravery that night, proving that an unarmed civilian can fight back and live to tell about it.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/06/millwall-fan-roy-larner-london-bridge-attackers
Christchurch
The Christchurch, NZ shootings were also horrific. On March 15, 2019, the shooter (I won’t name him) went to two mosques and began a live stream and recording as he started murdering people. He killed 51 people and injured 89 more at two different mosques at two different locations.
Immediately after the incidents, I sought out and watched the horrifying videos myself to see if I could learn anything from them. I learned a few things. First, I learned that hiding in plain sight or under other dead people or that playing dead does not work. The bad guy made sure everyone he shot was dead because he went back and shot everybody a second time in the head. He also exited each mosque several times, scanning the parking lot for targets. When he saw people trying to hide around vehicles, he shot them.
I learned that it’s probably a good idea to get as far away as possible from an active shooter, seeking cover and concealment whenever possible. Cover provides some level of ballistic protection while concealment hides your location. Know the difference because if a bad guy finds you and you don’t have cover, you might have a very bad day.
New Year’s Day 2025
Weeks ago in New Orleans, a bad guy drove a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. He then engaged police in a shootout before he was killed. 15 people died from the event including the bad guy. 57 people were injured. What was a night of celebration quickly turned into death and carnage. Below is a link to a BBC article about the incident:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9xr7dre3zo
Discussion
There have been several terrorist attacks worldwide and they will continue indefinitely. This is the harsh, unpopular truth. However, that’s not a reason to live in fear or to be afraid. We have to continue living our lives and doing the things we like. The way to navigate that is to prepare and to be ready. We can identify the similarities between each event and implement some strategies based on those similarities.
The first similarity I recognize is that most attacks target events and locations where people gather in large crowds. The second similarity I see is that most of the attacks happened where the targeted people were unarmed. Third, the attacks targeted multiple locations in most instances and were largely coordinated by a small group of individuals. Last, all of these attacks are examples of how bad guys can go mobile for maximum carnage. They also illustrate how everything can be fine one minute and go sideways the next.
I can’t possibly go into detail about every act of terror that’s ever happened. There are so many. Terrorism is not new, but Americans are not used to living with this level of violence in their cities and towns. Americans don’t think it can happen to them, except it is happening. That is why it is important to prepare.
The October 7, 2023 attack on Israel was a large-scale attack that lasted for an entire McDonald’s shift. Let that sink in.
In the United States, people think that Israelis are always armed because they are under constant threat. While Israel is under constant threat and its citizens receive military training, it is not true that everyone is armed all the time. Hamas was able to inflict a large amount of death during its attack. Members of the group targeted a concert, yes, but they also targeted neighborhoods and villages. They went into homes. In some cases, Israelis defended themselves with firearms. In other cases, they could not defend themselves. Would Americans be ready for a similar attack to happen in their suburbs?
If you’re at home during an attack, defend it. Hopefully, you have a plan already in place for defending your home. If you don’t, make one. Identify vulnerabilities. Identify strengths. Determine ways to strengthen your weaknesses and ways to beef up. Do know know how to divert bad guys into a certain area of your property, so that you can dispatch with them? There are ways to do this, but since everyone’s location is different you’ll have to figure that part out on your own. I just want to get your hamster wheel in motion. If a man’s home is his castle, why not have a plan for defending it? Even real, medieval castles have fortifications and defenses. Think about it.
As for the times when you are not at your castle, I have some tips that may help.
Tips:
Maintain situational awareness at all times. Stay close to exits or at least identify them. Move diagonally through large crowds during evacuation. This avoids going against the flow and being trampled from behind.
Avoid Intoxication, especially away from home.
Carry a firearm and backup weapon such as a knife. Train regularly with these weapons for self-defense. (Check your laws to make sure it is legal to carry.)
Have hand skills. In places where weapons are not allowed, knowing how to fight is the next thing. Be MillWall when the time to fight arrives.
Carry Body Armor. There are options for concealment and low-profile armor. (Check your laws to see if it is legal to carry armor.)
Carry a first aid kit and seek training in CPR and how to Stop the Bleed.
When going to a large gathering with friends and family, pick out a meeting location in case you get separated during an emergency. Make sure it is at a safe location.
Have an out-of-state emergency contact. If for some reason communication breaks down locally, individuals in your group can call the emergency contact to check in and pass information.
Have an alternate mode of communication. GMRS, satellite, and ham radios will still work if the cell phone towers stop working. Too many 911 calls in a small area will do this in less than a minute. Having another form of communication will allow you to call for help.
Prepare mentally. Seek professional help after an event. The level of violence in these attacks is traumatizing and some people are trained to help you.
Lastly, we cannot prepare for everything. All we can do is our best. Exercising these tips are not a guarantee for survival but they may increase your chances. Leave the rest to God and pray that we can all live in peace.
Fundamental prepping starts with the mind, and my approach is to get right with God first. I know that by seeking the Kingdom, I seek everlasting life. Once I understood this, I knew that I was free.
“Live Free, or Die Trying.”
As always, I hope you stay prepared. God Bless and thank you for reading.
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