But the fire is so delightful
The information in the north end of this post is excerpted from The Homeland Security Institute which you can't access without an account. So, set up an account and take some classes.
Effects of bombs
When detonated or ignited, explosives and incendiaries will produce three primary effects: fragmentation, blast pressure, and thermal. Although explosive agents and incendiary agents are often categorized together because they cause the same effects, they vary in the type of damage produced. An explosive produces damage primarily through fragmentation and blast pressure, while an incendiary does harm mainly through its thermal effects.
Fragmentation
An explosive agent may propel fragments at high speed for long distances. Fragments may move outward from a device as fast as 2700 feet per second, about as fast as a bullet fired from a rifle. These fragments can create penetrating wounds when striking the body, causing injuries or casualties. An explosive may also contain nails, ball bearings, or other forms of shrapnel in an attempt to injure or kill more victims. Depending on the construction and size of an explosive device, the fragmentation effect may be minimal or quite devastating.
Blast pressure
There are two different phases of blast pressure. The first phase is a positive blast pressure (overpressure), which moves rapidly away from the seat of the explosion (ground zero) due to the expansion caused by the release of energy. After the positive pressure phase, a vacuum is created at the explosion site, causing the second phase of a negative pressure that moves toward the original center of the detonation at hurricane speed. It is less sudden, but lasts approximately three times as long as the positive pressure wave. Both the positive and negative pressures in concert with each other can have a significant effect on people and structures in the vicinity. Buildings can be ripped apart such as when they are hit by a tornado. The human body can suffer from the formation of water vapor in body tissue as a result of a rapid and extreme change in atmospheric pressure (embolisms), blood vessel damage, and other internal injury from the high pressure being applied to it and then removed at extreme speeds. It is important to note that a victim may not display injuries from an explosion for up to 48 hours. It is for this reason that any persons in the vicinity of an explosion should report to a hospital for observation.
Responders should also be aware of the phenomenon of reflected pressure, which takes place when a blast pressure meets a solid structure. Reflected pressures can be two to nine times the pressure experienced in an open-air environment. When determining perimeters in a pre-blast response, responders should take the likelihood of reflected pressure into consideration.
Thermal effects
Thermal effect is the heat produced by the detonation or ignition of an incendiary device. Explosive devices may produce only temporary thermal effects, such as a bright flash or fireball momentarily produced by the explosion. Fire and thermal effects are usually localized and short-lived with conventional explosive devices -- those not enhanced for collateral incendiary effects. Thermal effects vary depending on the type of agent, the container, and the presence of additional fuels or accelerants. Responders should consider using hardened structures such as masonry walls and buildings (not glass), or even fire apparatus, to keep responders away from potential line-of-sight blast pathways. Remember, stand-off distance significantly factors into selecting physical protection mediums. Ensure that the type of shielding used is substantial enough not only to prevent penetration but also to prevent spalling. Spalling is the phenomenon whereby the positive pressure wave delivers enough energy into a solid object not to penetrate but to knock the backside of the object off. This in itself can potentially kill or injure any persons behind the object.
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Now that you have a basic understanding of how you might be hurt, let's look again at who might be tryin' to do the hurtin'.
First of all, let's get this straight: they're not 'suicide bombers.' Someone whose primary motivation is to kill other people is a murderer; a barbarian, not a martyr. They are homicide bombers, to be polite. They are savages and killers, and they can be male or female, of any ethnic or racial group, of any age.
They will use any ploy to get to their target, which as we all remember is... you.
Bombs can be made into just about any shape. Some have been made to fit into brassieres and others to make a woman appear to be pregnant. Still others have been hidden under burkas , worn by both men and women of the ethnic group which wears burkas.
They may be dressed in bulky, heavy, too-large clothing that seem unusual for some reason. Of course, it's relative depending on the season and the weather on any particular day. But if you combine unusual clothing with a few more of the indicators here, you may be seeing some sort of weapon under or in the coat. Put this same person in a crowded mall and add all or a couple of the variables mentioned here or seen there and you might have a problem on your hands.
When these murderers are about to strike, they'll try to avoid contact with security and the police ~ because they don't want to get caught before they murder as many innocents as possible.
Some attackers with bombs are sedated in order to make them more obedient to their handlers. The sedative might cause excessive sweating and mild shaking. Murderers like this might be walking slowly because of a sedative or perhaps they're thinking deeply about what they're about to do, looking to the sides to see if anyone is coming up behind to try to stop the attack. They might be wondering where their handler is. They might walk along, appearing hesitant, as though they don't want to reach a particular point, probably the target. They might be muttering, perhaps some religious phrase or prayer. If the phrase that the person is whispering/saying/shouting sounds something like alla-hu-ak-bar, my guess is you've got a serious problem there. Decide what you're going to do in that case, but don't just stand there.
People who don't usually carry weapons tend to touch them to make sure it's in the right place. So, murderers like this might repeatedly and nervously handle parts of their clothing, not just have their hands in their pockets or fingers up their nose. Someone touching themselves in a manner that indicates they are feeling for something (as opposed to scratching) or maybe adjusting something under their clothing may be carrying a weapon of some sort.
This may be far-fetched but, as this murderer is walking along in front of you, are nails and screws, metal washers and ball bearings falling from his clothing? Hey, it could happen. And I guess if it does, maybe he should have put that bomb together better, eh? Too bad for him.
A well-groomed, clean-shaven, heavily-perfumed male murderer might have cleaned up because he feels he's about to meet his Maker and wants to be clean for that appointment. It's called ritualistic hygiene. If you know for certain that you saw the same guy just the day before and then he had a bushy beard and was a real slob, the sudden change might add another suspicion to your list.
Murderers might be wearing obvious disguises such as a police, security, or EMT uniform. They probably wouldn't wear a uniform like that while on recon because of the risk of getting caught early in the mission and then having to explain, 'Well, ya see officer; it's like this ...' They'd more likely use uniforms in an attack in order to quickly get to or away from their target. They might have on, or don in front of you, a fabric headband upon which are written words in a foreign language. Some murderers wear these as badges signifying their death. If you see that, trouble's there, not on the way.
Look for green
or perhaps a nice checker pattern.
But then black goes with everything.
Going through a search point, an individual who's not willing to let go of his/her personal effects may be hiding a bomb. Or, maybe he's just finicky; eaten up with terminal OCD.
Bombs usually have two switches or buttons, each on a separate wire. One button arms the device, the other detonates it. The bomb can be detonated any time after it's armed. Attentive individuals in Israel have been able to spot murderers there as they arm the bomb, and 'neutralize' the murderer before he or she kills anyone. You can imagine, or research, how those events transpired.
Maybe the murderer wearing the bomb doesn't have the detonator, maybe his handler has it over there in the corner. That would make the handler a murderer, too. There are may possible scenarios and I won't pretend to know them all. I do know this: the enemy is not outside the walls, he is inside the gates. Sooner or later they will push the buttons on bombs and then, if it hasn't changed for you since 9-11, life will change forever. So, do your homework, get some heavy-duty training here... and be careful out there.
The best response is probably to back off quickly and carefully, letting others in the area know what you're seeing so they can make life decisions for themselves like you just did. I covered this in a little more depth in a recent post, but you get the point. You should notify the police ASAP. If possible, it should be you who calls the cops because you'll be best able to describe what you've seen that has everyone screaming in the background. Try to do it by land-line phone, not cellular because a cell phone signal can detonate a bomb.
And, remember; if you can see a bomber, the bomb can see you. If it can see you, it can hit you. If it can hit you, it can kill you. Taking cover is probably the best option.
If you're armed, you'd better be sure this murderer you're about to draw down on is a bona fide bad guy/girl. Remember, it's your decision, not mine. Not here and now, not there and then, if it ever begins to happen in front of you. If you decide to shoot, a head shot might not work because the bomb may be detonated by a dead-man switch, one that is activated if the bomber lets go of the detonator, like that Cyberdyne whiz-kid, Miles Dyson, in T2.
And we all know how that turned out. Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh ... ka ... BOOM.
Again, the best response is probably to move away. Try to get some cover between you and the murderer. If just getting down on the ground/floor is your only option, be careful what you're behind ~ it may be blown over onto you. Try to have your feet pointed in the direction of the coming blast. Why? Because the leather/rubber in the soles of your shoes will stop bomb stuff better than the hair on the top of your head.
If something goes Boom and you're not hurt, maybe it would be best just to stay put until cops and EMTs arrive. There might be a secondary explosive in the area set to be detonated away from the first explosion and that second explosion might get you as you're moving from the scene. Whatever amounts to your best judgment in that case, use it.
A friend, call-sign Tracer, offered this sagacity based on her training and experience: If you're driving along minding your own bidness and you see something along the road that's 'Free' ... leave it alone. Don't touch it. It's the perfect IED. Random. Innocent. Deadly. If you want it that bad, ask someone in the area who maybe the thing belongs to and confirm with that person that it's harmless. Even if it's something as simple as, let's say a 'Leatherman' there in the dirt, leave it alone. Objects can be attached to explosives that detonate when moved. Remember booby traps? Yea, I know; both Tracer and I are crazy paranoid.
Sure.
Just in case I haven't been subtle enough, they are not martyrs. They are murderers.
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