Terrorism is no longer a foreign battlefield issue. It’s happening in neighborhoods across the globe at malls, marathons, parades, and music festivals. 9/11 put it in the US psyche, but the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 cemented it in our brains. We’re the target. You’re the target. It’s on you to be prepared for the unspeakable.
There’s no way to know when or where an attack will happen, but there are ways to prepare. As the US Army puts it, prior planning prevents piss poor performance. In the face of a terrorist attack, small decisions can be the difference between life and death. Let’s get planning.
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Preparing for Terror Attacks
The first thing you must understand about a terrorist attack is it’s not about you. It’s not personal. It’s a premeditated attack to instill fear and achieve ideological or political goals. You’re not the target. You’re collateral damage. The target is the nightly news, which will play the footage on repeat. This is why terrorists attack places where there are large crowds (you) and ample cameras ready to record.
The best approach to becoming collateral damage is to avoid these places, but living like the Vietcong – scurrying through tunnels and never seeing the light of day – is no way to live. If you do, the terrorists have instilled fear in you, and we can’t let them win the war before a battle – ‘Merica. So, fuck those guys. Go out and enjoy life, but be prepared for the worst.
Reconnaissance: Know where you’ll go
Do your research before attending any event. You don’t need to put on face paint and sneak around at 2 am a couple of days prior like you’re SEAL Team 6. There’s a thing called the internet. You can look up a satellite view of where you’re going. Focus on ingress and egress routes – the places you can enter and leave. This could be parking lots or public transit. You need to know the fastest way in and out.
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Next, find the second fastest way out…and third. When the explosions happen, exits will flood, which creates a bottleneck. The military calls this the “fatal funnel,” where people have to enter / exit, and it’s an excellent place for a terrorist to get the most bang for their buck. When you see everyone running toward an exit, grab your family and head to another one.
A couple rules of thumb. First, if you’re driving, park near an exit. I know it’s a longer walk, but you could use the extra steps, considering you’ll be getting the 4000-calorie nacho plate while there. This allows you to beat the crowd to your car (running is faster than driving after an explosion) and beat the cars to the open road. In a pinch, you can jump a curb and be safely on your way. On that note, it’s never a bad idea to leave early to beat traffic. Same concept.
Second, if there’s a terrorist attack, public transit will be shut down, so set a rally point to meet at. After the Boston Marathon bombing, they closed all public transportation. Cell towers are also either overwhelmed or shut down, so a secondary explosion won’t be triggered by a cell. It’s going to be chaos, so having a spot where you and your loved ones will meet up is a small way to ensure the best outcome when the shit hits the fan.
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What to Wear
Most venues prohibit what you can bring in, so there’s no reason to tell you to bring a knife or handgun. If you’re allowed, bring those. If not, dress like a nerd (Never Ending Radical Dude). It’s time to go full-on suburban dad, having a bar-b-que style.
Shoes: Wear closed-toed shoes you can run in. I recommend white New Balance sneakers because they’ll complement the ensemble. Pants: Loose-fitting cargo shorts or pants because they can hold all your knick-knacks. Belt: A leather braided belt is perfect because it can be used as a tourniquet in a pinch, because it will latch anywhere along the belt.
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Yes, you have so many pockets in your cargo shorts to hold a tourniquet, but are you going to carry one? Plus, it looks fantastic with your Tommy Bahama shirt tucked into it. Your kids may not want to be seen with you, but if it’s needed, you’ll get some solid quality time with them while cutting off the circulation to their arm where their wrist used to be. Now, pick up their severed hand and put it in one of your cargo pockets. You just earned your World’s Best Dad coffee mug.
Mental Rehearsals
The great “what if” question runs through men’s heads. What if 100 men tried to fight a gorilla? You’ve gone through that scenario. Do the same now, but with how you’ll react in a terrorist attack. You should know where you’re going to park, meet up, what you’ll do in an emergency, what you have on hand, and how you’d use it.
Terror Scenarios
Did you do your mental reps? No? That’s because you don’t have the scenarios. We’re going to focus on three: Explosions, shootings, and stampedes. There are others, like being attacked with a knife or axe, but the primary way to avoid those is by keeping your distance. An axe can’t cut what it can’t reach, but a bullet and a bomb don’t have the same distance restrictions.
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Scenario 1: Explosion
Hit the deck and drag your family down with you. Bombs explode up and out. Think of their trajectory like an upside-down pyramid. Shrapnel travels the path of least resistance. When a bomb is placed on the ground – say, in a backpack on the road – the bits that will kill you are away from the pavement, up and out. Lay flat on your stomach and cover your head with your arms so you take a hot chunk of metal in the bicep instead of the brain bucket. You’ve got your sweet leather belt to stave off the blood loss to your arm. Tourniquets don’t work around the neck.
Next, stay still or crawl to cover. Cover is something that will stop a bullet like a wall or a tree. Where there’s one bomb, there are two, so jumping up to record the carnage is a terrible idea. Your life is worth more than seventeen views on TikTok. Now breathe.
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It’s normal to hold your breath when scared. You need oxygen to think clearly. Take a few big breaths while assessing the situation, check to see if you’re bleeding, and get the attention of your family. They need you to be calm because they’re freaking out.
After a few long minutes, if you know how to render aid, now’s the time to help others. If you don’t, get the hell out of Dodge. If you’re not helping, you’re taking up space for people who can.
Scenario 2: Mass Shooting
It’s human nature to stop and stare at loud noises. You have to fight that urge when there’s a mass shooting. Unlike shrapnel, projectiles are aimed and can travel longer distances. Similar to a bomb, you must react. Hit the ground and drag your family down with you. It makes you a smaller target. An active shooter will be looking for movement (like the Tyrannosaurus Rex in Jurassic Park). Unlike a bombing, you need to move immediately.
Find cover if possible. If not, find concealment – something that obstructs the view between you and the shooter. This could be a hedge or a hanging banner. Anything that keeps you out of the sights of a shooter is better than staying in the open.
You may have heard the phrase “run, hide, fight” for an active shooter. It’s good advice. If you can’t hide, you’ll have to fight. After you’ve told your family to leave, everything’s a weapon. Arm yourself, and attack. Tree branch, rocks, andthe walker left behind by the old lady who miraculously sprinted like Usain Bolt are weapons. This is no time to be a hero, but if you’ve got no other options, go down as one.
Scenario 3: Stampede
The crowd moving away from an attack will stampede. You have two options. First, find a place to wait it out where you have both cover and concealment (a hardpoint). Second, get ahead of the crowd and wave to them as you drive off from your parking spot at the back of the lot. What you choose will be dependent on your situation.
If you have young children, get out of the crowd. Crazy people will push them over, and you’ll risk losing them. Run adjacent to the crowd – like swimming across a rip tide – and find a place to hide until it calms down.
If you have teenagers, try to get ahead of the crowd. If you can’t, and you get separated, get to your rally point and wait. Try to call them before they shut down the phones. The hardest thing to do is wait, but you have good kids and they’ll do the right thing. These situations end as abruptly as they begin. It may feel like forever, but calm will be restored.
On the X:
Now that you know the scenarios and have a plan for the worst, your work isn’t done. When you arrive on the X (a military term for where an attack happens), look around.
Avoid Large Crowds
If there’s a large crowd headed in one direction, use a different entrance. This can be done by arriving early, but your wife couldn’t decide which pair of “cute shoes” she wanted to wear. Feel free to wait out some of the congestion of the crowd in your car.
Look for Hard Points
Hard points are places where you can hole up and protect yourself in an emergency. Find these. Bathrooms smell terrible, but there’s a reason they’re used as tornado shelters. Built in concession stands, janitor closets, and any place where you see staff going in and out. If you’re walking around, find the ones closest to you.
Avoid These
Places where cars can drive should be avoided. The New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans in 2025 is a great example of a vehicle being used as a weapon on a crowd. Also, stand 12-18 inches from the walls while walking. When bullets hit walls, they tend to travel along them. If you’re hugging the wall, you may find yourself being hugged by a bullet. Finally, avoid crying children. Mainly because they’re annoying and will ruin any outing.
Train, Prepare, and Stay Alert:
Preparation is the best way to keep you and your family safe in a terrorist attack. It’s about knowing what you’ll do and where to go. Doing a modicum of planning can pay off when the difference between life and death is measured in seconds.
