Explosive threats are very real. Nearly anyone with enough patience and an internet connection can get on Google for a few minutes, go to the local big box store with a buddy, enter and exit through opposite doors, take a few simple precautions to obscure their visual recognition, make two separate purchases, and essentially turn those purchases into a highly effective energetic material.... and then use it to really clean someone's clock.
The problem (from a user standpoint) with many of the easily synthesized explosive compounds is that they are *HIGHLY* sensitive and unstable. This amplifies the need for a few simple procedures that many in the public safety field (from security personnel to sworn LEO's) either ignore or simply have not been taught.
Whether or not you received a written or verbal threat, you should ALWAYS follow what the US Department of Energy and Department of Homeland Security calls the "RAIN Concept." RAIN stands for Recognize, Avoid, Isolate, and Notify. We will break these down one step at a time.
1. Recognize:
If something looks out of place, it probably is. If your gut tells you something's not right, then something is definitely not right (and I'm not referring to that 99 cent gas station burrito you ate earlier). Trust your instincts and your knowledge of the area. If you find something that looks suspicious, assume it's not good for you until you can get the appropriate assets on scene. Since we are speaking specifically to explosive devices here, if you see wires, a smoke trail (indicates a burning pyrotechnic time fuse), visible capped pipes, freshly dug earth (common for roadside IED's abroad), trash strewn in a high traffic area (Also a common camouflage method for IED's overseas), or just get a generally bad feeling about a package or circumstance (think something like a rolling trash can in the middle of a parking lot that sees high traffic when the area utilizes roadside pickup) then it warrants further investigation.
2. Avoid:
This is self explanatory for those that are not responders. You can look around and get an idea of what you're looking at. Don't touch it as it will be evidence whether it detonates or not.... and also because anti-handling devices are pretty common and easy to manufacture.... and they will make you have a *VERY* bad day if you muck with them. Once you have recognized that an item or circumstance is more than likely an IED (or of course if you have already received a threat) then you should avoid it unless absolutely necessary.
3. Isolate:
If they aren't directly involve with the incident response, then they have no business in the area. This isn't the place for your community oriented policing class.... It's the place for your "Get out of here. We don't want you to get hurt. We will detain you if you proceed further." hardliner side. No exception. If they are not tasked with part of the response then they need to be evacuated and cleared from the scene. No one comes out, and most definitely no one comes in without direct approval of the Incident Commander, the EOD Commander, and the Incident Safety Officer. 100% evacuation except responders while taking care if possible to avoid the device on the way out (remember the A for Avoid immediately before this step).
4. Notify:
Get 911 on the horn. If you are 911, then get EOD on the line. Maybe that's your local law enforcement agency or Public Safety department having an on-call bomb squad. Maybe if you're out in the country like me, you have to contact the military (as our County Sheriff's Office just had to do earlier this week when a bomb threat was called in to the courthouse) or a larger agency to send their bomb squad or an EOD Team to you. This means a response time and a longer cordon of the area. Either way, establish a perimeter, initiate evacuations, and hold the line until EOD arrives.
The problem with all of this comes into the explosives themselves. If the explosive is filled with simple gun powder (be that smokeless propellant, black powder, or a black powder substitute) then the only real hazards come from mucking with the device and heat sources. However, some home made explosives such as the Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) used in the incident in Brussels are FAR more sensitive. As a matter of fact, the attackers in Brussels wore a glove on the hand pulling the baggage cart with the explosive because TATP is hypersensitive to static electricity. The simplest explosive is of course gunpowder. No synthesis, legal, and if you space out the purchases it raises few if any red flags while allowing multiple options in the explosive train (think the pieces that actually trigger the blast... if they don't function in a precise order then the device doesn't go "boom," which is a good thing.) as far as trigger and detonator options go. The cost of powder's simplicity is it's effectiveness. It simply doesn't pack much of a wallop. Namely, a blackpowder explosion is not a "detonation." Detonation implies a propagation velocity that is supersonic, typically in excess of 2000 meters per second, and significant overpressures that frequently exceed 20 Bars where a Deflagration implies a propagation velocity that is subsonic and can be as low as 100m/s. Deflagrations can see overpressures as low as .5 bar.
When you look at the numbers for explosives, without getting into all the boring details, there are two very important numbers to give you a baseline of what the device is capable of, and both pertain to the charge's filler. The first is detonation velocity. Quite obviously, the higher this is, the faster the propagation velocity and concurrently the higher the overpressure. The second is the Relative Effectiveness Factor (RE Factor, or simply RE). For this number, convnetional Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is given a 1.0. What this number translates to is the number of kilograms of TNT that one kilogram of the compound in question is equivalent too. Black powder has an RE of .55 (1kg of black powder equals .55kg of TNT) and a velocity of 600m/s. Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO.... and no, I'm not putting out ratios to make ANFO on the internet... Yes, I know it's already out there but some dickwad isn't going to pull a Tim McVeigh and blame it on me.) give a MUCH higher velocity of 5270m/s and has an RE of .74. Easily synthesized but HIGHLY unstable TATP gives a .80 RE and has a velocity of 5300m/s and Tovex Water Gel (commonly used for mining applications) gives the same .80 RE factor but pushes a 5690m/s velocity. Guncotton (Nitrocellulose) gives a 1.1 RE and 6400fps. To put things in perspective, military Composition C-4 gives a 1.34 RE and 8040m/s velocity.
As we see, ANFO and TATP are easily synthesized chemicals that offer a decent RE, about half way between common black powder and TNT. This gives a potential bomber quite a bit of bang for his buck. Let's also not forget that mining and even military explosives are stolen or bought illegally quite a bit for the purpose of blowing up buildings so we can never rule out those being acquired by a potential bad guy.
Now that we understand that some of these explosives are going to pack a serious punch, we need to understand what can make them mad.
First off, don't touch them or move them if you can possibly avoid it. It's not hard to rig a device with anti-handling measures to ensure the person who tries to dismantle it has a very bad day.
Second, CUT YOUR DAMN RADIO AND YOUR MOBILE PHONE OFF! During the bomb threat at the courthouse the other day I cut the scanner on and can hear deputies on scene chattering all over the radio. This is an easy way to cause a very loud and expensive noise. Radio Frequency Radiation (RF) can set off certain more sensitive explosives like TATP and if the device is rigged for triggering with a radio frequency command detonator then any RF in the area is asking for trouble. It is not unheard of for terrorist organizations to figure out what frequency an agency is using and program their devices to actuate on that frequency.... Again, could cause a VERY bad day. Cut your radio off, and slap the dog shit out of anyone on scene using a radio unless specifically cleared for radios by EOD. Regardless of what insignia they wear on their collar, I'm pretty sure they'll appreciate not ending dead and/or being responsible for actuating the device that dropped a building.
Last but certainly not least, when EOD rolls up, check the attitude and the ego. They know what they're doing and you probably don't. Those stripes, bars, oak leaves, eagles, or stars don't mean a damn thing. It's their show. They call the plays. If you're going to try to pull rank on the guys that know what their doing, you're a piece of shit that doesn't know their own lane (Hint: Once a fellow knows his own lane, it's best to stay in it until he's put the effort into getting ready to shift lanes a bit.... Some people have more lanes than other but if you're not EOD, that is DEFINTELY not your lane... so stay out of it.) and will probably end up on the wrong end of a bomb-suited bitch slap before the day is over.
To summarize:
RAIN
Recognize
Avoid
Isolate
Notify
Explosives are easy to make
Easy to make explosives can pack a major wallop.
DO NOT TOUCH IT! Look around and get an idea then pass that intel on but DO NOT TOUCH IT!
The Radio is not your friend.... and neither is your cell phone.... so cut them both off.
Stay in your own lane.... If you're not EOD, they call the shots and what's on your collar is irrelevant.
Until next time,
Stay Safe
Stay Frosty
and
Stay Dangerous
-Kenny Smith
CEO, TFHI