What we do

The Criminal Planning Cycle

It is crucial to recognize that, like other criminal or terrorist attack, anyone planning a cold weapon (CW) attack will follow some or all the steps of the criminal planning cycle. The cycle stages for conducting a CW attack usually occur more rapidly than a carjacking or kidnapping, but there will still be moments during the criminal planning cycle when the assailant can be detected and avoided. Assailants preparing to strike with a CW often display an out-of-place (just doesn’t feel right) demeanor such as a tense body posture, nervousness, a fixed stare, or abnormal perspiration which may indicate evil intent. Such non-verbal cues and body language should be considered to help assess whether an individual may be a potential threat. Sometimes, just before the attack, an assailant will yell or scream.

Situational Awareness

Most CW terrorist attacks are conducted in public and are directed against seemingly random targets. Identifying unusual behavior and other warning signs is best spotted with proper situational awareness, especially when you are out in public. When you are in a crowd, it is more difficult to be able to spot warning signs like the assailants' demeanor as they prepare to launch an attack. Practicing good situational awareness can allow you to see trouble coming and take steps to avoid it or mitigate its impact on you. People typically operate within five distinct levels of awareness. There are many ways to describe these levels. Cooper's colors, for example, is a system frequently used. Good situational awareness is vital when confronted with an assailant armed with a CW because that assailant must be within arm's reach (approximately 3-5 feet) to hurt you. The earlier you recognize that an attack is about to occur or is occurring, the quicker you can use your OODA loop to react.

Distance and Defense

The surest way to protect against an attack with a CW is to maintain a safe distance from the assailant. However, it IS important to understand that you probably will get cut when confronting a determined armed assailant, so expect it. The good news is most cuts are not fatal. Do not surrender at the first sign of blood and allow yourself to be killed. Maintain a warrior mindset. “Fight like you’re the third monkey on the ark and it’s starting to rain.”

It might be necessary to improvise a weapon to defend yourself. Anything within arm’s reach that can be used as a defense against an assailant armed with a CW is useful. In a knife attack in Israel, victims defended themselves with a guitar, and in the 2017 London Bridge knife attack, one assailant burst into a pub but had to withdraw from the establishment after being pelted with beer bottles and pint glasses. Knife Wounds If you are wounded in a CW attack, it is crucial to stop the bleeding until emergency help arrives. Most external bleeding can be stopped with pressure applied directly with the hands or with a pressure bandage using any cloth available. However, there is a difference between arterial bleeding and venous bleeding. Arterial bleeding spurts, but venous bleeding flows more slowly. A victim can die quickly from a slashed artery (3 minutes), therefore arterial bleeding requires immediate attention.

Cuts to the inner thigh, the inside of the upper arm or armpit, and the neck all cross critical arteries. You can't control extreme arterial bleeding with pressure alone you must apply a tourniquet. I recommend you travel with a first aid kit that includes items like a tourniquet, a chest seal, a pressure bandage, and hemostatic gauze to help stop bleeding. If you do not have access to a first aid kit, items such as belts, scarves, neckties, or purse straps can be used as improvised tourniquets. Your improvised tourniquets or pressure bandages don't have to look pretty they just need to stop the bleeding. In addition to pressure, elevating a wounded limb above the heart level can help reduce blood loss. Taking a First Aid class to help you feel comfortable doing these skills is recommended. CW attacks are terrifying and can be deadly, and they are not about to end anytime soon. With proper situational awareness, mindset, and training, CW attacks can be abated and/or mitigated, and the wounded can be kept from bleeding to death.