Photo by Sinister Dexter
Unfortunately, we live in a world where people do bad things to other people. People go into movie theaters and schools armed with rifles and other firearms and take the lives of innocent people. Others set up bombs to go off to also take the lives of innocent people.
Since the attacks on September 11, 2001, airlines have increased their security protocol to ensure that all of their passengers are protected from harm and that none of the passengers are bringing items onto the plane that can hurt anyone else, especially bombs.
With today’s technology, though, more and more con artists are finding new ways to create bombs and get them on board an airplane or even put them anywhere else that can cause a significant amount of harm and death to innocent people.
So what do you do if you suspect that someone has a bomb?
Don’t cause a scene.
While the initial reaction may be to scream and yell and cause a scene, this is not the best idea. First of all, you don’t know for sure if the person has a bomb, so you don’t want to make accusations without knowing the truth. Second, if the person were to have a bomb, your scene could upset them enough to detonate it, putting you and others at risk of serious injury or death.
Know where you are.
You will want to take mental note of where exactly you are and where the person with the alleged bomb is. You will also want to write down specifics about the person, such as height, weight, age and a description of their clothing or anything else that could stand out.
Leave the area.
Even though you’re not sure about whether or not the person truly has a bomb, you need to leave the area. If you’re in a small space, getting away from the bomb will be harder to do, but you want to get as far away as possible. If it truly is a bomb and if it’s activated, being far away will give you a better chance of survival.
Tell the authorities.
You’ll want to let the authorities know as soon as possible about your suspicions. If you’re in a building, you’ll want to tell the security guards. If you’re on a plane, let a flight attendant know. If you’re somewhere where a person of authority cannot be located, you’ll want to call the cops. This is where your description and location information will come in handy.
The authorities of these establishments or areas will be able to take the right protocol to apprehend the suspect and determine if they truly have a bomb. It’s possible that they don’t, and the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. But there’s also the possibility that they do have a bomb, and your suspicions and actions helped to get the situation under control before someone (or a group of people) ended up severely hurt, or worse, dead.
Albert Riera is a TSA security officer and writer who often writes with the intent of informing and educating passengers on the dangers and protocol for dealing with bombs.
