Transcript Identification of Terrorist Attacks

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IFSTA Essentials 5th ed. Ch. 22 pages 1,184-1,191
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Spain
Indonesia
Birmingham
OK City
Algiers
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Different from Hazmat incident:
 Accidental versus intentional
 Crime scenes
 Size and complexity
 Number of casualties
 Presence of extremely hazardous materials
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Dangers:
 Armed resistance
 Booby traps
 Secondary devices
 Weapons
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More dangers:
 Contaminated victims
 Structural collapse hazards
 Presence of crime scene
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Two factors that complicate terrorist attacks:
 Crime scene preservation
 Secondary devices
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Two or more non-trauma mass casualty
incidents in public locations:
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shopping mall
transportation hub
mass transit system
telecommunications facility
office building
assembly occupancy
other public buildings
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Other possible targets:
 Controversial business (i.e. abortion clinic)
 Government building (federal buildings )
 A location with historical or symbolic significance
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Terrorist motivation is to make a statement:
 Socially significant structure
 Large number of victims
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What should be done if criminal or terrorist
activity is suspected at the scene of an
incident?
Report it to the incident commander (IC)
as quickly as possible.
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Who is primarily, not solely, responsible for the
collection of evidence at a terrorist event?
Law enforcement
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Which is the lead law enforcement agency at a
terrorist event?
FBI
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CBRNE
 Each have unique indicators
 Use monitors and detectors to determine their
presence
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Chemical warfare agents (CBRNE) :
• Nerve agents
• Blister agents
• Blood agents
• Choking agents
• Riot control agents
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Nerve agents
 Sarin (GB)
 Soman (GD)
 V agent (VX)
 Tabun (GA)
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Blister agents (Mustard)
Blood (AC/CK)
Choking agents (Chlorine/Phosgene)
Common industrial chemicals (TIMs/TICs)
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On-scene warning signs:
 Unusual containers
 Unexplained sudden onset of similar non-
traumatic illnesses or deaths
 Unusual odors or tastes that are out of character
 Unexplained skin, eye, or airway irritation
 Runny nose (rhinorrhea), disorientation, difficulty
breathing, or convulsions
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SLUDGEM (symptoms of exposure to chemical
warfare nerve agents ):
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Salivation (drooling)
Lacrimation (tearing)
Urination
Defecation (loss of bowel control)
Gastrointestinal upset/aggravation (cramping)
Emesis (vomiting)
Miosis (pinpointed pupils) or Muscular
twitching/spasms
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TIM/TIC use may be identified through:
 Occupancy types and locations
 Container shapes
 Hazardous materials placards, labels, and
markings
 Written resources
 Sensory indicators
 Use of monitoring and detection devices
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Biological attacks (CBRNE)
 Ricin
 Anthrax
 Bubonic plague
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Toxic substances that are living materials or
obtained from living materials
Anthrax Scare of 2001: The famous “white
powder” mailings
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Signs and symptoms:
 May take many days to develop
 Unusual diseases
 People or animals get sick or die
 Multiple casualties with similar signs or symptoms
 Dissemination of unscheduled or unusual spray
 Casualty distribution aligned with wind direction
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Emergency medical services (EMS) responders
and health-care personnel may be first to
realize that there has been a biological attack
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Radiological attacks (CBRNE)
 Weapons that release radiological materials:
▪ dust or powder
▪ radiological dispersal device (RDD)
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Indicators:
 Warning, threat, or received intelligence
 Signs and symptoms of radiation exposure
 Radiological materials packaging abandoned
 Suspicious packages that weigh more than they
should
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 Indicators (continued):
 Activation of radiation detection devices
 Material that is hot or emits heat
 Glowing material
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How can it be determined that radiation is
involved at an incident?
Monitoring can determine if radiation is
involved.
Monitoring must be conducted at all
explosive incidents.
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Nuclear attacks (CBRNE)
The intentional detonation of a nuclear weapon
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Indicators:
 Warning, threat, or received intelligence
 Mushroom cloud
 Exceptionally large/powerful explosion
 Electromagnetic pulse (EMP)
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Explosive/incendiary attacks (CBRNE)
also referred to as Bombings:
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 Majority of terrorist attacks
 May be classified as weapons of mass destruction
 May be used to disseminate chemical, biological,
and radiological materials
 Be alert for secondary devices
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Indicators:
 Warning or threat of an attack or received
intelligence
 Reports of an explosion
 Explosion
 Accelerant odors (gasoline smells and other
similar odors)
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Indicators (continued):
 Multiple fires or explosions
 Incendiary device or bomb components (such as
broken glass from a Molotov cocktail or wreckage
of a car bomb)
 Unexpected heavy burning or high temperatures
 Unusually fast burning fires
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Indicators (continued):
 Unusual smoke or flame color
 Propane or other flammable gas cylinders in
unusual locations
 Unattended packages/backpacks/objects left in
high traffic/public areas
 Fragmentation damage/injury
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Indicators (continued):
 Damage exceeding gas explosions, including
shattered reinforced concrete or bent structural
steel
 Crater(s)
 Small metal objects such as nuts, bolts, and/or
nails used as shrapnel
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Terrorist incident complicated by crime scene
preservation and secondary devices.
Terrorist’s motivation is to make a statement:
 Socially significant structures
 Large number of victims
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Situational awareness:
 Unusual
 Unexpected
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We are the first on the scene
Be safe!
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