Dear Black Bag Confidential Reader,
It’s tough to wrap my head around it at times, but the fact is we live in a time when — without hesitation — a terrorist will detonate a bomb at a concert filled with children.
I’ll admit, I don’t listen to Ariana Grande’s music and I don’t know much about her, but this horrific incident just goes to show that these types of attacks can happen anywhere, anytime.
The latest accounts report that 22 people are dead, 59 are injured and several are still missing. Many of those injured will likely be crippled for life, and no one who was there that night will forget the gruesome scene.
This horrific event is evidence of just how cold and brutal terrorists are. It’s also a reminder that anytime you attend a large event or a public gathering, you need to pay attention to what is going on around you.
You can never take your safety for granted, and you need to know how to react if, heaven forbid, you find yourself in a situation like the one that just took place in Manchester, England.
So here are some quick tips if you ever see that day…
- Whenever you go to a big event, always identify two exits upon arrival. This takes only about 30 seconds to do, but very few people make the effort to do this. This way, you have an alternative escape route if something happens that blocks one of your exits. For example, at the Ariana Grande concert, the bomb went off near the arena entrance, which meant you didn’t want to head in that direction. Instead, you would quickly move to the second exit you previously identified to get out of the area as quickly as possible
- If an explosion goes off in your vicinity, quickly scan the room. While the inevitable panic ensues, you need to keep your wits about you and take a second to make sure the exit you’re heading to is safe. You don’t want to be rushing to a place where a guy with an AK-47 is waiting to mow people down. I realize keeping your cool is difficult to do when you’re scared and confused, but it’s crucial that you can immediately assess whether you’re heading in a safe direction
- Most of the time, it’s not a good idea to follow the crowd. If the bomber has a secondary device, they’re going to place it at the most likely exit people will be rushing toward. So if you see everyone running in a certain direction, you probably want to head the other way. Think about crowd mentality — people will blindly follow the herd without thinking. This is another reason why following the crowd is often a bad idea. Most people have no idea why they are going where they’re going, except for the fact that everybody else is headed that way
- In the event you suffer a serious injury and are bleeding, be sure to apply pressure to the wound and seek medical attention as soon as possible once you’ve gotten to safety.
While these tips may seem simple, they can and have saved lives. Whenever you’re out and about — at a shopping mall, concert, marathon or night club — please be vigilant.
And as always…
Stay safe,
Jason Hanson
