As a former Infantryman and licensed security guard in the state of Florida with specialized counterterrorism training in “Improvised Explosive Devices” (IED) recognition skills – I’m an expert on how to spot and deal with IED’s.
As a former infantryman and licensed security guard in the state of Florida with specialized counterterrorism training in “Improvised Explosive Devices” (IED’s) recognition skills – l’m an expert on how to spot and deal with IED’s.
Its a sad fact today that the number one cause of casualties during the wars in Iraq and currently in Afghanistan comes from the use of IED’s.
An IED is basically any device packed with explosives. These can be anything from car or vehicle borne bombs, package bombs or the most feared “person borne” bombs (suicide bombers).
I was taught that the best defense against an IED is something called “situational awareness.” It basically means being aware of your surroundings at all times.
In the case of car bombs, that means asking yourself questions:
1) Why did the owner of this vehicle park in front of a building but get out and head in the opposite direction from it?
2) Why is this vehicle double parked here and left unattended with the doors locked?
3) Why does this vehicle appear to be sitting so low in the back, like its loaded down with something in the trunk or back seat?
4) Why did the driver park in a no parking zone?
The answer: It could be a car bomb.
It is important to note that situational awareness — being aware of one’s surroundings and identifying potential threats and dangerous situations — is more of a mindset than a hard skill.
In my case I’m paranoid and suspicious anyway so it just seems to work for me.
The other problem with car bombs is that literally any vehicle can become a bomb once it is loaded or packed with explosives – and cars, especially in the United States are everywhere.
In studying the use of car bombs, specifically and IED’s in general is that I’ve noticed a disturbing trend or tactic being employed by terrorists today. Namely the use of sequential bombs, meaning one is detonated to kill as many people as possible and to lure in first responders. After which a second, or even third is detonated killing even more people.
In the case of package bombs, they can be hidden anywhere, in trashcans, backpacks left behind by people on trains, vehicles, planes…etc. IEDs can also be disguised as toys and stuffed animals…
So you have to be alert.
Case in point, l was riding on a public transit bus recently and a man got off at the last second and left his backpack behind, just as the exit doors were closing?
l yelled at the driver to stop and open the back door after the bus lurched forward, which caused the driver to brake hard. He open the back door to let me out and l grabbed the backpack and threw it as hard as I could outside over a small brick wall, behind the bus stop and then jumped back on the bus, told the driver to “go” and braced for impact. It didn’t explode and the driver got up casually walked up to me as l was crouched down with my hand covering my head and yelled at me “to get the hell off my bus.”
I tried to explain the guy left his backpack but the bus driver wasn’t having any of it!
In that case l came across like a complete crazy person!
So I got kicked off the bus and then remembered the book bag.
I went over and cautiously approached it and carefully unzipped the book bag and it had nothing but you guessed it “books” in it. That damn kid! Scared the crap out of me!
I felt like a fool, but l know l did right and would do it all over again, because l didn’t know and really couldn’t take the chance with people’s lives.
But that is also sort of the problem in these types of situations – most of the times your wrong! Or it turns out not to be a threat in the first place.
That happens about 9 times out of 10. Better safe than sorry.
I should add the guy who left his bag and literally ran off that bus at the last second was also talking on his cell phone at the time.
Seeing people talk on cellphones today is totally normal, especially in the United States but a bomber can trigger or remotely detonate an IED with a simple cellphone call.
Its just that quick!
If an IED does detonate in your vicinity, it will usually happen so fast, so unexpectedly that there will be little or nothing you can do.
In Hollywood movies you often time see people leaping up and away at the last second just before the bomb explodes in a spread eagle fashion. I’m here to tell you right now that won’t work!
Your best response is to take cover behind something like a wall or concrete planter or hit the ground and lie flat, covering your head with your fingers interlocked toward the back of your head . Remember also to keep your mouth “open” and legs crossed.
The reasoning for that is because of the shock-wave (concussion) from the blast can and often does burst your eardrums and lungs.
You want to lay flat because the shrapnel can rip you to pieces. Shrapnel tends to explode up, out and away from the blast. By laying as flat as possible a lot of it shoot out over top of you.
If you do survive the blast, you probably won’t be able to hear anything and you will be totally disorientated. If you can try to walk, crawl or drag yourselves away from the blast site or kill zone, as there could be other car bombs or IEDs in that immediate area waiting for first responders to arrive.
The idea is to get as far away as possible to lessen the risk, not only to yourself but to the first responded who usually rush right in to help people where they are and don’t think about the possibility of a secondary IED.
IED blast compilation videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_6vGj67Iq8
IED arms race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83VgEnfLzJc
See related video: Counter IED training https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W29Z0e9vqVE