Vehicle‐Borne IED Incident Management

Incident Management Guidelines

A vehicle‐borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) will be in the form of a static vehicle or a mobile/static suicide bomber, set on a timer, set on a tilt mechanism, or remotely detonated. Standard operating procedures should be in place to limit the opportunities for unauthorized vehicles containing explosives to enter a secured area. This will include both physical measures (barriers, gates, guards) and policies and procedures (see appropriate security plan for the project).

In the event of a VBIED incident occurring, the following points should be addressed:

1. Stand up the Incident Management and Crisis Response Teams using the SAD CHALETS system.
2. Move to the predefined Security Alert Status, in which all security personnel are mobilized.
   
   
3. Take shelter (lie down, move behind or into a hard structure, move away)—refer to explosive hazard distances diagram for details.
   
   
4. Establish a casualty management point.
   
   
5. Assist casualties and walking wounded—provide Casualty Reports as per Communications Plan.
   
   
6. Establish an Incident Control Point (ICP) to coordinate responses and meet external response groups—notify responding agencies of the location and of safe routes into the site.
   
   
7. Confirm there are no secondary devices—conduct a security sweep.
   
   
8. Implement the six Cs:
   • • Confirm. Confirm the presence of the suspect device. This should be a one‐person task (if appropriate) and needs to be done from a distance whenever possible. Maximum use should be made of hard cover and spotting equipment through such means as binoculars or scopes.
       
       
     • Clear. Clear the area around the device of all personnel, working from the device outward, to a distance of 900 feet. Maximum use should be made of hard cover, such as buildings. No one should be in clear sight of the threat area.
       
       
     • Cordon. Cordon off the 900‐foot danger area and set up an Incident Control Point (ICP) for follow‐on agencies to meet at. Personnel who are being cleared from the area should be checked at random to deter additional threats.
       
       
     • Control. Control the cordoned‐off area to ensure that only authorized access is achieved. Only emergency services should be allowed to breach the cordon through the control point. Any breaches of the cordon should be reported immediately to the Incident Response Team (IRT) Commander.
       
       
     • Check. All personnel stationed on the cordon should check their immediate area for secondary devices and hazards. Any suspicious items should be reported to the situation commander, and their position should be marked.
       
       
     • Coordinate. Commercial companies will rarely manage an explosive hazard in isolation from external government or military support. Therefore, effective coordination between company and external management and response teams is critical for the safe resolution of the situation.
       
       
9. Send out security alerts according to the crisis Communications Plan to notify staff to avoid the area if traveling.
   
   
10. Mobilize the Quick Response Force (QRF) if appropriate to mitigate possible secondary attacks.
    
    
11. Notify medical facilities and support agencies (see Communications Plan).
    
    
12. Carry out a roll call of all employees and personnel.
    
    
13. Begin a running log of events as they occur, recording activities.
    
    
14. Do not divulge the names of casualties until their next of kin have been notified.
    
    
15. Provide a Serious Incident Report (SIR) if required.
    
    
16. Cordon off the site of a detonation—this is relevant for any forensic investigations, as well as to mitigate the threat from any secondary devices or unexploded ordnance.
    
    
17. Consider alternative business locations for future business operations in the area.
    
    
18. Increase security measures—conduct a full investigation of the incident using all agencies and methods available.
    
    
19. Forward all information through the correct communication channels, and update where necessary.
    
    
20. Provide an Incident Management Plan (IMP) Risk Assessment Report as soon as possible.

Incident Response Guidelines

Each crisis event will involve unique factors that will affect how the initial and often inexperienced first‐line responders or ad hoc response groups respond, as well as how the follow‐on and typically predefined and experienced incident and crisis management teams (CMTs) will manage to an event. It is problematic to attempt to completely define predetermined response plans and management guidelines, as each situation will be unique and each response guideline will require the necessary degree of flexibility needed to reflect the fluid management and operational requirements of each crisis event. That said, companies can plan ahead and determine the most likely risk events, as well as a sensible set of response options that can be used to guide less experienced managers through what is often a confusing and highly stressful situation, or provide a quick checklist for those with more experience to ensure complacency does not set in and uniformity of response measures are maintained.

Response guidelines should be considered as such: guidelines. They should not be considered restrictive, unless the implementing staff requires clear and strict instructions for dealing with particular crisis events. They effectively provide a sensible first responder and manager handrail which ensures that advice and guidance is offered where needed, and specific instructions are provided where necessary. It also ensures that key management requirements are not missed during an emergency, and that a logical and structured approach to resolving a situation is provided. Common sense and sound leadership at all times should take precedence. In addition, companies might wish to consider including a liability exemption for such documents, as such guidelines cannot prevent a crisis from occurring, and are not surefire measures by which to prevent injuries, property loss, or damage. These guidelines are purely mitigation tools for individuals to use during an emergency, helping focus a response and bring control and structure to often confusing situations. Response guidelines are useful for even the most experienced of crisis professionals, as they provide a checklist to walk a manager through response considerations as an event occurs, providing focus, structure, and consistency. Additional elements can then be added to enhance the response measures as required. Those drafting response guidelines should also consider the environment in which such documents will be utilized—often fast moving, high stress, and under considerable pressure. Therefore, the response guidelines should contain enough information to bring understanding to the user, without requiring significant time to read through and implement recommendations or gather information.

Response guidelines support the company in developing uniformity and transparency across the organization, ensuring that the basic tenets of response are understood and applied evenly, within what can often be complex and compartmentalized organizations. They can also be used in conjunction with information capture reports, helping managers both practically deal with a problem, as well as share critical information between multiple participants. These policies and procedures also evidence the company's efforts to manage its risks, and can form an important aspect of its duty of care approach. In addition, such measures might offset business risks, as well as reputational and liability risks if a crisis event results in a subsequent investigation or lawsuit. Such response guidelines are not designed to constrain innovation or lateral thinking, but should be configured to provide the foundations of a response system, as well as share simple and useful procedures for managing crisis events in the best way possible. The principles that should be applied when developing response guidelines are illustrated in Exhibit 5.1, and should conform to the following considerations:

• Resourced.: The response guidelines should have the correct resources available to allow plans to be implemented, in terms of education for users as well as the materials needed to implement responses.
• Supported.: Response guidelines should be supported by all management levels in order to ensure that activities have prior buy‐in and that consistent approaches are in place.
• Rehearsed.: Ideally, response measures will have been practiced prior to an emergency so that managers and users are familiar and comfortable with the guidelines and requirements.
• Integrated.: Integration both within the company and with external agencies is critical to ensure that response guidelines are effective. Technological integration is also required.
• Leveraged.: Response guidelines should seek to leverage organic and external resources and capabilities in order to augment a user group's capabilities and capacity.
• Flexible.: Response guidelines should be inherently flexible in order to meet the unique factors that invariably accompany each crisis event. They should guide, rather than be rigidly enforced.
• Measured.: Response guidelines should provide a calm, measured, and mature response to crisis events, reducing panic or knee‐jerk reactions.
• Clear.: Response guidelines should be clear and easy to follow—meeting the knowledge, capabilities, and experiences of a wide and diverse user audience.
• Pragmatic.: Response guidelines should be pragmatic and realistic. They should provide the right level of support to resolve a problem—simplicity and realism are vital.
  
  

 

Exhibit 1: Response Guidelines Principles

The following response guidelines offer suggestions for how simple and user‐friendly management protocols can be developed to meet the requirements of a wide user audience, for a variety of threats a company or organization might face. Each guideline should be considered as an isolated tool, providing sufficient instructions and prompts to assist first responders and crisis managers in dealing with singular events. A degree of repetition will be evident within some guideline protocols as each management response guideline should be self contained and able to operate in isolation. At the end of each guideline response is a blank organization contact list that can be used to guide managers to the correct organizations to liaise with, alert, or mobilize for each type of risk event. This should be linked to the Business Continuity Management Plan communications and interface plans and should be simple enough for those not trained or experienced in applying crisis management policies and procedures to use effectively, but should also be designed to support a range of incident response and crisis management teams as well. It should be remembered that these plans will need to be clear, simple, and succinct when used in order to offer guidance to managers while they concurrently face the stresses and challenges of coping with the crisis event itself. Companies should seek to tailor such responses to suit their corporate policies and objectives, making plans short or more detailed depending on their need and level of risk, as well as the business activity and its operating environment.

Aspects of the response guidelines and data call section will be repetitive of other components of the Business Continuity Management Plan. This is necessary in some areas so that each section can operate in isolation, if required.

Forest Fires | Natural Risk

Forest fires and wildfires are very common in many places around the world. Forested areas are particularly susceptible to wildfires, especially where climates are sufficiently moist to allow the growth of trees but feature extended dry or hot periods. Forest fires are particularly prevalent in the summer and fall, as well as during droughts when fallen branches, leaves, and other material can dry out and become highly flammable. Wildfires are also common in grasslands and scrublands and are most severe on days with strong winds, which help increase the tempo and intensity of fires. Forest fires present significant risks to urban areas bordering forested or grassland areas, as well as facilities and travelers caught in the fire's path. Forest fires fall into three basic categories:

1.  Wildfire.: An unplanned and unwanted fire, including unauthorized human‐caused fires, escaped wild land fire use events, escaped prescribed fire projects, and all other wild land fires.

2.  Wild Land Fire Use.: The application of the appropriate management response to naturally ignited wild land fires to accomplish specific resource management objectives in predefined designated areas.

3.  Prescribed Fire.: Any fire ignited by management actions to meet specific objectives.

The common causes for such fires include human carelessness, arson, volcanoes, heat waves, drought, lightning, and industrial accidents. The effects can be devastating and can quickly overwhelm emergency responders attempting to extinguish the fires. The propagation of a fire has three mechanisms that managers should be aware of (if operating within regions susceptible to forest fires):

1.  Crawling Fire.: A fire that spreads via low‐level vegetation (e.g., bushes, grass, and scrub).

2.  Crown Fire.: A fire that spreads across the top branches of trees. Crown fires can spread at an incredible pace through the top of a forest. They can be extremely dangerous to all inhabitants underneath, as they may spread too fast to be outrun, particularly on windy days.

3.  Jumping Fire.: A fire that produces burning branches and leaves that are carried by the wind to start distant fires. A jumping fire can be carried over roads, rivers, or even firebreaks.

The IMP should be designed to support companies whose facilities or work sites operate within regions that suffer from forest fires. Prior to a forest fire event, companies should undertake the following measures as part of their contingency planning phase:

§  Consult with your local fire department regarding the measures required to make the facility more fire resistant.

§  Check for and remove fire hazards in and around the facility, such as dried‐out branches, leaves, and debris.

§  Develop fire response plans and rehearse these with personnel and local authorities.

§  Learn fire safety techniques and teach them to employees.

§  Make sure every floor and all working areas have smoke detectors.

During a forest fire event, the local or incident response manager should undertake the following simple activities to increase the protection of personnel and facilities:

§  Monitor local radio stations in order to understand where the fire is located, and which areas are affected by the downwind effects—in terms of smoke hazards as well as the direction in which the fire is moving.

§  Prepare personnel to evacuate along prescribed escape routes once the location and direction of travel are known.

§  Remove all outdoor furniture, tarps, and other combustible material from the facility exterior; these present a flammable hazard for jumping fire threats.

§  Close all doors in the facility; shut off gas valves and pilot lights; and remove flammable drapes, curtains, awnings, and other window coverings.

§  Keep lights on to aid visibility in case smoke fills the facility.

§  If sufficient water is available, turn sprinklers on to wet the roof and any waterproof valuables to reduce the risks of ignition.

§  Limit the time spent outdoors until conditions improve to avoid breathing in harmful smoke.

§  Turn off air exchange units that bring air in from the outside if they are worsening indoor air quality.

The IMP is designed to protect facilities from being susceptible to fire hazards during a forest fire crisis, as well as help determine the point at which personnel evacuate if the fire comes into immediate proximity of the facility. The guidance and instructions provided by government authorities should be followed at all times; however, companies can increase the levels of awareness and response to their employees during such events by developing simple and sensible response measures and protocols.