Be aware and ‘stay safe’ in the event of a terror attack

UPDATE – 23/05/2017 – This article was prepared before last night’s explosion at the Manchester Arena. We feel that the content remains relevant and important. Our thoughts are with those affected by last night’s attack.

Despite a number of preventive measures, a terror attack in the United Kingdom is highly likely. Police and security agencies are working around the clock, 365 days a year, to protect the public. However it is also important that the general public remain vigilant, arming themselves with the right knowledge to protect themselves.

‘Stay Safe: Firearms and Weapons Attack’ – National Police Chiefs Council

The police service have put together a short video called ‘Stay Safe’ which highlights a number of options for staying safe should the worst case scenario occur.

Run, Hide, Tell – Citizen Aid – the anti-terrorist app helping to keep the UK safe.

Following a number of attacks all over the world, the Citizen Aid initiative was introduced. It is a mobile application, with the intention to educate and support people in the event of an attack. It is available for free on all platforms, iOS, Android and Windows Mobile. It is also available in hard copy version at a small cost.

Citizen Aid is a registered charity introduced by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. They believe that “being prepared really matters. Those first 5 minutes count, they make the difference, and you make the difference. You can save lives…with the right care and knowledge YOU can deliver care to yourself, your friends and family and to the stranger caught up in a terrorist attack”.

‘Those first five minutes count, you can make the difference…’

Although some things within the app might seem like general common sense, it makes you think and potentially highlights things that you otherwise might not think about if faced with the fear of a real attack. For example:

Run!

Escape if possible, running as fast as you can. Of course that would be anyone’s first response. However what also might be an instant response would be to grab all of your belongings. But actually as Citizen Aid suggests taking your belongings with you will slow you down.

Hide!

If you cannot escape, hide on your own, locking and barricading doors and staying clear of windows. Again, an instant response might be to stay together in groups, like the saying – safety in numbers. However, hiding in groups might make you more obvious to an attacker.

Tell!

Calling the emergency services at the earliest but safest opportunity. Making sure that you turn your phone to silent, as well as turning the vibration off.

Above is just a small selection of what is included within the app, there are over 22 pages of easy to read information including how to deal with casualties and what information the emergency services need.

You can find more information about Citizen Aid and what they do here. They are also on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.