Terroristic Acts

Violent or Hostile Behavior

• If hostile or violent behavior is occurring or you believe it is about to happen: 
  • Should gunfire or explosives hazard the campus, you should take cover immediately using all available concealment. Leave the immediate area whenever possible and direct others to do so. 
  • Close and lock doors when possible to separate yourself and others from the armed suspect.
  • Distance plus barriers equals safety.  Move fast and keep large objects between you and a person with a gun.  
  • Initiate contact with the Public Safety Department as soon as possible to ensure that a timely response is begun before a situation becomes uncontrollable.   
• If you are taken hostage: 
  • Be patient. Time is usually on your side. Avoid drastic action – unless you make the judgment (based on the facts of the present situation) that action will be the only thing that saves your life and/or the lives of others.  If you must take drastic action, such as when the hostage-takers are suicidal terrorists, enlist as much help as possible and arm yourselves with whatever is at hand.  Surprise and speed will be essential.
  • The initial 45 minutes are the most dangerous. Follow instructions, be alert, and stay alive. Most captors are emotionally unbalanced. Don’t make mistakes that could hazard your well-being. 
  • Don’t speak unless spoken to and then only when necessary. Don’t talk down or attempt to rationalize with the captor. 
  • Avoid appearing hostile. Maintain eye contact with the captor at all times if possible, but do not stare. 
  • Try to rest. Avoid speculating. Comply with instructions as best you can. Avoid arguments. Expect the unexpected, severe mood swings, irrational actions, etc. Displaying a certain amount of fear can possibly work to your advantage. 
  • Do not make quick or sudden moves. If you must go to the bathroom, need medications or first aid, ask your captors. 
  • Be observant. When you are released, or if you escape, the personal safety of others may depend on what you remember about the situation, the persons, and the place. 

Bomb Threats 

Bomb threats are usually received by telephone. The person receiving the threat should remain calm and attempt to obtain as much information as possible by using the bomb threat checklist on the outside back cover of the public safety manual.

Call Public Safety at 6.4401 (912.260.4401 if off campus) and give the officer your name, location, and telephone number. Inform officers of the situation, including any information you may have as to the location of the bomb, time it is set to explode, and the time you received the call. DO NOT USE TWO-WAY RADIOS OR CELL PHONES WITHIN 1000 FEET OF THE SUSPECTED DEVICE! If you do so, you may trigger the device.

Inform your residence hall manager, immediate supervisor or other appropriate person. Public Safety will respond and decide on whether to evacuate the location. If you should notice a suspicious object, report it to the officer, but do not handle the object. 

If instructed to evacuate the building, move to a distance 2,000–3,000 feet from the building. If possible, move upwind from any potential blast area.  Do not reenter the building until receiving the "all clear" from the officer. 

BOMB THREAT CHECKLIST
 

Exact time of call _____________________Date: ________________________

Exact words of caller _____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

QUESTIONS TO ASK

1. When is the bomb going to explode? ________________________________________

2. Where is the bomb? _____________________________________________________

3. What does it look like? ___________________________________________________

4. What kind of bomb is it? __________________________________________________

5. What will cause it to explode? ______________________________________________

6. Did you place the bomb? __________________________________________________

7. Why did you place the bomb? _____________________________________________

8. Where are you calling from? _______________________________________________

9. What is your address? ___________________________________________________

10. What is your name? ____________________________________________________

CALLER'S VOICE (Circle)

Calm_________Disguised_________Nasal________Angry________ Broken

Stutter________Slow____________ Sincere_______Lisp_________ Rapid

Giggling_______Deep____________Crying_______ Squeaky______ Excited

Stressed______Accent___________ Loud________ Slurred_______ Normal

If voice is familliar, whom did it sound like? _____________________________________

Background noises? _____ Describe: _________________________________________

Remarks: _______________________________________________________________

Person receiving call ______________________________________________________

Telephone number call received at ____________________________________________

REPORT THE BOMB THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY, 4370

Explosions

Continue to use the same precautions as above.  Be aware that sometimes secondary devices may be timed to follow the initial blast, so do not rush in immediately.  Avoid, if possible, the dust cloud that accompanies a blast and attempt to stay upwind of the blast area until Public Safety officials determine it is safe to enter the area.  If you are caught in the dust cloud, attempt to cover at least your nose and mouth with a cloth or any other material that will help you filter the air.  As soon as possible, get rid of any contaminated clothing and shower thoroughly, as the dust cloud could contain harmful materials such as asbestos or harmful chemicals, etc.

“Dirty Bombs”

“Dirty Bombs” are radiological dispersion bombs in which a conventional explosive is packaged along with radioactive material.  As with other bomb detonations, leave the area as soon as possible (attempting to go upwind if possible) and then take decontamination procedures, being careful not to further contaminate other areas and people.  DO NOT apply ointments to burned areas and DO NOT remain in exposed clothing. Most immediate deaths and all property damage would probably be the result of the explosion itself, not the radioactive material.  If your exposure was lengthy or you were contaminated by a massive amount of the radioactive material, you may have radiation sickness very quickly, followed by other serious medical problems.  If your exposure was brief and you were not contaminated by a large amount of the radioactive material, you may have no immediate symptoms, but it may result in increased risk for cancer.  In either case, seek immediate medical attention and have your physician monitor your health afterwards.  Be sure to let health facility personnel immediately that you may have been contaminated.

Radioiodine is a radioactive isotope of iodine that is produced by nuclear reactors. Exposure to radioiodine can cause thyroid cancer, particularly in young children. In the event of a nuclear bomb or reactor accident, radioiodine may be released into the atmosphere.  Taking potassium iodide pills within three or four hours of such radiation exposure can prevent subsequent thyroid cancer, but does not affect other types of radiation.  Local health department officials will tell people when to take potassium iodide. 

For more information concerning radiological hazards, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:  www.bt.cdc.gov.

Chemical Attacks

Chemical agents can be dispersed through artillery shells or missiles bursting on the ground or in the air, sprayed from an airplane, or a number of other ways.  Most chemical agents act within seconds or minutes and people in the area become obviously ill very quickly. Only a gas mask and protective clothing or a sealed environment offers full protection against a chemical attack. If we are attacked here in the U.S. it will probably come without any warning, so there will be little chance to get the protective equipment or get into the sealed environment. Any sealed environment must also have an air source or there is a danger of asphyxiation. 

Avoid panic when you are still within the contaminated area, as panic will only cause you to breathe faster, breathing in more of the substance.  As with bomb attacks, get out of the area immediately and go upwind of the danger site and be decontaminated as soon as possible.  Avoid what appear to be clouds of possible chemical agents.  Fresh air is your friend.  Remember not to panic, as more people are likely to be killed by injuries sustained in panicking than by the chemical agents themselves.  
 

If you were contaminated, seek medical assistance immediately following decontamination. First, remove all clothing and other items in contact with the body, cutting off any clothing that has to be removed over the head.  Place those items in a plastic bag, flush your eyes with plenty of water and then you  can decontaminate yourself using soap and water, but do not scrub harshly. You can decontaminate your glasses and other items that were possibly contaminated using a solution of 5% bleach and water.  If blisters form on your skin, DO NOT burst them.  

For more information concerning chemical hazards, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:  www.bt.cdc.gov.

Biological Attacks

Biological agents will most likely be used in the forms of aerosol spray or a dry powder.  We most likely not know that a biological attack has taken place until people begin to be sick and seek medical attention.  The incubation period of various biological agents may differ greatly. The most typical symptoms of a biological attack are either flu-like symptoms or rashes.  No single immunization can guard against biological attacks and not all forms of diseases can be effectively treated by antibiotics.  Seek medical attention as soon as symptoms develop or as soon as you know that you were contaminated.  Immediate recognition and treatment are effective.  A certain amount of protection may be obtained from paper masks or other items (such as clothing) improvised to cover the mouth and nose.  DO not seek low places like ditches, basements and underground garages, as the substances in the air are heavier than the air.  You should decontaminate using the same procedures as with chemical attacks.

Letters or packages may contain bio-agents in a fine powder form, with the terrorist intending for the fine powder to get in the air upon the letter/package being opened and then the victims to breathe in the substance.  Do not open suspicious letters or packages (those that have excessive postage, poorly typed or handwritten addresses, discolorations or odors, no return address, lopsided or uneven envelopes, or a city or state in the postmark that does not match the return address).  Also, do not shake or empty the contents or transfer the item somewhere else or allow anyone else to touch it.  Notify Public Safety or your supervisor so HazMat personnel can be contacted.  Leave the area and close any doors to the area, shutting off, if possible, the ventilation system.  Wash your hands with soap and water to prevent the spreading of potentially infectious material.  Remember that those areas contaminated with anthrax were particularly hard to decontaminate so let the professionals do the decontaminating.  Keep a list of all those that were in the area so it can be turned over to local public health and law enforcement authorities. 

For more information concerning biological hazards, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:  www.bt.cdc.gov.

Protective Shelters

If you are downwind from a chemical, biological or radiological event and there is no time to get out of the path of the cloud (whether visible or invisible), seek shelter, such as your home or the building where you are, and then turn off all ventilation.  Preferably, seek shelter in an internal room without windows.  Remember that for a chemical or biological event, the substance may seek the lowest level but that in radiological events (particularly such as a nuclear explosion) to go beneath ground level is highly desirable.  For radiological events such as nuclear explosions, the more lead and ground or other dense materials between you and the radiation, the better, but any shelter is bettter than none.    Of course, the more distance between you and the source of the radiation, the better, and fallout radiation loses its intensity fairly rapidly. Within two weeks the radiation level will drop to about 1% of its initial level. 

If possible, for chemical and biological events, seal the room with duct tape and plastic sheeting.  Ten square feet of floor space per person will provide sufficient air to prevent carbon dioxide buildup for up to five hours.  Take your battery-operated radio with you and follow official instructions.  In your home, you may want to keep a battery-operated radio with fresh batteries, an adequate supply of canned foods and containers of fresh water for use not only for possible terrorist events, but also for use in possible natural disaster events.  With those supplies you may also want to keep latex gloves and paper mask with this emergency equipment, as well as first aid supplies, personal items to include medications, etc. 

A more detailed look at all types of hazardous events can be found at:  www.fema.gov/areyouready/.