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Surviving a Suicide Bomber

First Off…

It is a damn shame that any human being has to take the time to seriously write an article with the above title, but the world does not conform to decency and honor at all times, so here we are. The chosen environments for the majority of suicide bombings (crowded venues) and the added aspect of the scum not caring at all about being able to leave the scene of the crime alive make specific measures and predictions extremely tough to implement.

There are a few general guidelines to keep in mind. We will divide these into three tiers: 80/20 Scanning, Alarmed But Uncertain, Full-On.

80/20 Scanning

If you are in any crowded venue, whether it be at a sporting event, concert, farmer’s market, airport, mall… hell, anywhere where good people congregate to go about their business living and having fun, we’ve got to admit that there is always the possibility that bad things could potentially happen.

This is not me advocating for the shunning of all events that draw crowds or telling you to live scared, it is quite the contrary. I am urging everyone to use a bit of Pareto’s 80/20 Principle. What I mean by this is that you should place 80% of your attention on the fun at hand and allow 20% of your attention/time be devoted to vigilantly scanning your surroundings. In other words, pay attention, to everything.

Approach the event like a springbok might would a watering hole on the Serengeti– a place to slake thirst, mingle with other springbok, maybe get the cute one’s number, but always keep in mind that there may be a lion in the bushes or a crocodile in the shallows. Drink the water, mingle, have fun, but stay awake.

General Scanning Rules

Look for backpacks and large bags. Many venues ban these, some do not. Your job/my job/our job is to look for any backpacks or large bags in the venue, and if we see them, report them if they prohibited at the event. If they are permitted, allow yourself to do a bit of profiling of the backpack wearer or bag-holder. Look for intention signaling.

What those signals might be, we’ve discussed in many other articles in the past, so I’m sure you are already aware of intention signals at this point. We add to our luck by staying awake and aware. With remaining awake and aware in mind–PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY! It is impossible to be in the here and now when a tiny screen has captured your undivided attention. Being glued to your phone means that you not only miss your snowball’s chance in hell of spotting trouble, but you are less than fully present at the event you presumably freely chose (and paid) to attend. Putting the phone away is a win-win.

Alarmed But Uncertain

Obviously, if we see something, we say something, but this is where we get a little dark and perhaps even a little Machiavellian. Let’s presume we see something a little odd, but not quite odd enough to set off any alarms. We’ve seen something that gets our gut going but we’ve got no real actionable “tell” that we can point to. We want to pay a bit closer attention while at the same time playing it safe rather than sorry.

I’m going to say something mighty obvious and a bit self-preserving here. The further you are from a bomb-blast, the greater your odds of survival are and the lower your chances of being severely injured are. No-brainer, right? Even darker– The more people between you and the suicide bomber, the greater your survival odds are.

With these uncertain tells in mind, I am advocating that you to remove yourself from the immediate area of possible-concern. By all means, keep your eye on whatever has you concerned and if the tells escalate, give alarm NOW. If your tell-signal diminishes, well, nobody but you, and those in your charge know that you were silently using the crowd as shields.

Full-On.

We’re in full-on hell here. If we have failed to spot the threat and are close to the epicenter of the blast, well, fortune will do what it does. If there is a split-second between “Oh, shit this is going down” and the actual triggering of the device, here is your snowball’s chance in hell protocol: Hit the deck IMMEDIATELY.

These devices are meant to fragment and/or send projectile material through human flesh. Whether this material be nuts, bolts, ball-bearings, etc., dispersal physics say that the vast majority of this material will go up, down, and outward. Your job is to create the smallest profile in this dispersal cloud.

So, with that in mind…

  1. Hit the deck!
  2. Point the soles of your feet toward the scumbag bomber. You create the smallest profile possible and have the best chance of protecting your vitals in this position.
  3. Cross your legs to ensure an even smaller profile and decrease the likelihood that the blast will catch a splayed leg and shear it.
  4. Go facedown, hands over your head and ears, fingers interlaced, with elbows tucked to sides over ribs. Again, protect your vitals.
  5. Close your eyes tight.
  6. Open your mouth. This is counter-intuitive, but this tactic is to help equalize the pressure of the bomb blast. Opening your mouth can reduce your chances of suffering ruptured eardrums and lungs.

Drills

“Never do anything for the first time in combat.”

It is not enough for us to merely read an article and nod our head and think to ourselves, “Good idea.” We must put it into practice. We can and should be drilling awareness/alertness every single day of our lives.

When it comes to the Full-On Survival Posture I recommend hitting it right now. Hit the deck and assume the position. If you’re really serious, over the course of the next week, give a tennis ball to your family members and ask them to do you a favor. Over the next seven days, a couple of times per day at least, tell them to toss the ball onto the floor of the room you’re in, in the front yard while your trimming the hedges, anywhere and anytime that you aren’t really thinking about it.

Tell them to catch you unaware. Treat where the ball lands as the bomber’s position and hit the deck and assume the position. If we’re lucky, two things will happen with the Drill Week:

  1. Your friends and family members have a laugh making your lunge for the ground for seven days.
  2. You never, ever need such dire advice.

Peace, love, and harmony to the good and kind!
Death to villains!

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112 thoughts on “Surviving a Suicide Bomber”

  1. Great strategy. Practice does make perfect. Nothing is more valuable than your life. Was in an active shooter situation. Hit the ground and started pulling people down on top of me. No regrets. Just surviving.

    Reply

  2. Great info. I’ve posted it and sent it to others Facebook. I’m pretty sure by this time tomorrow well over 100 people will have read it. In 2 days that number will probably be in the thousands.

    Thank you so much, Paul B

    Reply

  3. 80 / 20 Scanning… Good call, if your alone enjoying any type of venue, if you have immediate responsibilities, ie; family or friends. IMHO a minimum of 60 / 40. You need to dial up your location awareness, layout familiarization, exits, window openings, get a fix on your overall bearings N.S.E.W. , As you enter buildings, some post detailed graphs of building layout to give you a visual layout of the facility. A basic outline of services, locations, emergency pooling, resource centers, emergency exits… common sense can extend your chances of survival. BE AWARE.
    General Scanning… great coverage, often you may see things that just don’t jell for some reason. If your instinct is trying to tell you something… Listen up, there can be so many signals given and hopefully a eyes open approach can give you the extra edge you might need… Make your own luck, try not to leave anything to chance.
    Alarmed but uncertain… when the hammer drops, let the survival instincts take over, and exercise due caution. Don’t be soft about anything… You may be talking dead or alive, don’t be squeamish about anything, do what you need to take of you and yours. But don’t lose your humanity. The situation may need a team leader, or a responsible person to assist those in need.
    Dark time… distance can equate to safety. But it could be used as a diversionary tactic, herd a group in a certain direction and possibly create confusion and hysteria. Don’t always buy into the flow, could be a trap.
    Full on….if you misread a situation and it is escalating, be sure to cover your ass and family and friends. Get as low and as small of a profile as possibilie, make yourself the smallest target possible.
    Drills… Practice makes perfect! The more you drill the better you feel the confidence needed in emergency situations. Might seem like overkill, I’d rather be alive than dead because I lacked the desire to drill enough. Learn from the errors that pop up when in drill mode. Always strive to not be the one that says “I could have done this” or “I wish I had done this instead of that”… Don’t be the one that has to say “I’m sorry”… Be the one that says ” I’m so glad I was here”!!!

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  9. Cheers Mark luckily here in australia we havent had an actual suicide bomber but we have had a couple of incidents with these scumbags where people have been killed. I dont think it will be long befor something major will happen . Cheers for all the good advice and stay safe to all.

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  12. Timely article, Mark! Being proactive with a plan is a great way to feel empowered instead of fearful. Vigilance and awareness…our only weapons against these vermin. Thank you for offering something that we can arm ourselves with.

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  14. Thank You for this practical advice. I have sent it to the folks on my email list. I am printing copies to take to friends who do not have email.

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  15. Good to be reminded of the serious possibilities and how to prepare for the worst. Many thanks.

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  16. Good, sound advice. That “snowflake in Hells’ ” chance for minimising injury and death is what survival is all about. I had to smile when I read the “Put your phone away” piece – this single nugget shines the light on young folks of today. The Pop Concert with literally thousands of youngsters – arms extended & mobiles aimed at the stage – you could walk the proverbial elephant ( or crocodile ) into their midst and nobody would see the obvious danger.

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  17. Great tips, especially about putting it to practice. Always always stay aware of your surroundings and increase your chances of survival. Thanks for all the great tips.

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  18. I suggest not walking close to stores. Walk near where the parking meters are.
    Shootings: hit the deck (the ground) near the curb.
    Do not run with crowd. They will stampead you.
    Always be aware of EXIT ? DOORS.

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  20. Thank you ! This is a great way to get us all to be protective of ourselves and our families. We ALL need to have this mindset.

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  21. Looks like real life-saving info. Boxing Fitness classes often use “Sprawl” exercises, which could be handy.

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  25. Excellent advice. Generally I also add the following advice when addressing a class:
    If you survive an initial blast unharmed or are minimally injured and are in an area with limited access (large room, arena, stadium, etc.), where there is no apparent secondary danger (i.e. fire, active shooter, etc.) seriously consider the situation and STAYING PUT to await for first responders to lead you out. The odds of there being a second device are relatively small, but if one exists there is a likelihood it will be at a ‘choke point’, i.e. a hallway/tunnel or the exits. This would be placed to either catch those exiting in a large cluster, or to injure first responders as they arrive. Also, In rushing to the exits, you risk falling yourself, being pushed down or tripping over someone else that has fallen and in any regard, end up being trampled by the panicked crowd. Remember that if you have “hit the deck” to avoid the blast, to get back to your feet (if possible) as soon as you can afterward to avoid being trampled by the crowd.

    Also, in any crowded venue attack involving a blast or loud gunfire you and those with you are likely to have temporarily lost their hearing due either to the blast, gunfire or loud screaming, and/or from audio exclusion from the body’s stress response. You should practice stay/go and manipulation drills with your family, as well as have practiced a simple set of hand signals to direct them.

    Obviously there is a great deal more to know about surviving an attack in a crowded venue, and I highly recommend that people attend a seminar/class given by an experienced professional to learn more, especially if you carry a concealed firearm: Showing your firearm at the wrong moment and being mistaken as a shooter by another CCW holder or an undercover or off-duty police officer can make your day even worse,

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  26. This is such good advice and the first time I have ever seen it! Thank you guys so much for teaching us how to protect ourselves in these dark times!

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  27. Good ideas some I already practice in every day life,some were informative to me.Read them to my wife at same time.I educate my lady so she knows what to do and most likely we will be on the same page if the worst happens. Without much if any verbal communication.

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  29. This is some very good advice but the best advice is to stay away from crowds if possible. When you go to some meeting where there are going to be large groups of people, be sure you know where the closest exits are. Try not to sit or stand close to some elderly people since their ability to move is going to be slower than you would like. This may sound sadistic but it’s true. Your life or theirs is going to be the results you and you alone can produce.

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  30. Thank you Mark, for this good and I think,timely advice. We never know in this time period when someone could act in a way that could cause death or injury to people.

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  33. Awesome information! I am a firm believer of the 80/20 rule and in some places, the 70/30 rule. I particularly like the information on the down position…great advice!

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  37. Good advice. Thanks.
    Another observation from the Manchester Arena bombing was that it seems that the first instinct after hearing the explosion was for the people in the arena to stampede out. I would suspect the safest thing to do would be to stay put. Bearing in mind that a devious mind would set a second one off whilst the crowd was trying to leave.
    Your thoughts on this?

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  48. Good info. Remember to keep in mind where the exits are, landmarks, and shelter in each new room you lead into. Knowing what’s behind you, and what’s ahead as cover, concealment, or a way out may be helpful from suicide bombers to ex girlfriends…

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  50. Hi Bob
    Thanks for the great advise on How to survive Suicide Bomber!! By Mark Hatmaker
    It is unreal that here in the USA we are having to worry about crazy stuff like that!
    We get the news, but nobody takes the time to tell you what to do if it does happen!!
    Thanks again for all you and the rest of the crew at Fight fast do to help us keep our families save!
    Great products and information!!
    Kind Regards
    Don

    Reply