How journalists can prep for a possible violent event
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Journalists face a unique threat when covering events, especially the upcoming inauguration where there have been posts on message boards saying reporters are soft targets and free game.
The aim of this guide is to give a few broad tips on how to react and survive in a situation that could result in a mass casualty event.
There are a lot of guides online for “sheepdogs” and preppers that typically aim to make their audience paranoid and to try and train them as soldiers or Navy SEALs and convince them to be equipped as if they’re going on a mission in Afghanistan. That isn’t the goal here. I don’t sell gear, I’m just a reporter with some experience in warzones as a soldier giving some broad tips.
The goal of this guide is to give practical advice. A book could be written on each specific topic, but you don’t want to be overloaded with information and then not react at all. We can “what if” things to death.
It is also unlikely most newsrooms are actively training for these events. This is for people to remember some key bullet points that will keep them alive until authorities secure the scene. Any veteran or first responder reading this will probably notice some details are left out. This is aimed at reporters who have no law enforcement, military, martial arts - any background in self-defense or combat.
Reacting to gunfire
The first time I took enemy contact in Afghanistan I didn’t know we were being shot at. Being on the receiving end of gunfire isn’t always the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. I remember my team leader at the time asking what I thought about my first “gunfight.” He was a real veteran with a lot of experience. Apparently, someone took potshots at us. We took cover but I thought it was just for the leaders to do something with the radio. We didn’t return fire, we weren’t sure where the shooter was - we moved on. Our second “engagement” was equally uneventful. Sometimes war is boring.
The third time we took contact and I had the opportunity to shoot my 240B (a machine gun), I hesitated. One of our Afghan soldiers we worked with was bleeding out. This was a real gunfight. People were yelling, my sergeant was getting me and my machine gun into an advantageous position. But I didn’t pull the trigger as quickly as I should’ve. I don’t think it was fear - it was the whole thing being surreal. Am I actually allowed to do this? Could I get in trouble? I don’t want to be the first guy to shoot.
I grew up playing videogames and was a fan of movies like Black Hawk Down. Actually seeing combat happen was weird. Oh, people actually do this in real life.
Point is - you might not immediately realize you are taking fire. It is also possible to get caught up in the gee-wiz factor of the whole thing and get caught up in emotions other than fear. You need to detach, think practically, and don’t let emotion take over.
First, get down. As soon as you hear gunfire, hit the floor - or dive behind some type of cover or concealment. You want to make your body small and low to the ground. A smaller target is hard to hit. Be cognizant of others, you do not want to get trampled. If police interact with you, make sure they can see your hands, don’t make sudden movements, do not reach behind your back.
Cover is something that can potentially block bullets (a car, bookshelf, door, tree, barrier) concealment is something that will obstruct the shooter’s view of you, but will not protect you (a curtain, bush, clothing rack, tall grass). Cover is always better. But generally take advantage of the closest cover or concealment first, you can crawl or run to a better piece of cover after you initially react. The first priority after gunshots is to move - even if it’s only a few inches.
Now that you have put something in between you and the shooter - it’s time to escape. If you cannot see the shooter and the shots sound far away, get out of there. If the shooter is in your general vicinity, wait got pauses in gunfire to move. It is probably difficult to get an accurate count, but a rifle will typically have 30 bullets to fire before a reload.
If you cannot escape - hide. If possible, keep in mind your hiding spot should also have an exit. You need to think about where you go if the shooter follows you. If in a room, barricade it with everything - Chairs, bookcases, tables, dry erase boards, computer monitors, every bit to make opening the door and entering as difficult as possible. Again, your exit needs to be accessible.
Think about establishing cover in this hiding spot. If the shooter entered, you might still be able to evade gunfire they pour into the room.
Fighting is the absolute last resort. But if the shooter enters the room and you cannot escape, you have to attack them with the intent to kill them. It sounds savage, but at this point you aren’t going to have the mindset or a pushing match between two frat bros at a bar. It’s you or them.
This is where the sheepdog experts will want to weigh in and give complicated advice that won’t work in action. Your hiding space is now an Alamo. After you barricade and identify possible exits, you need to arm yourself. Fire extinguishers, table legs - you want to generally arm yourself with blunt instruments that are easy for you to wield. That pocket knife you have is great, but I wouldn’t gamble on it.
Attack the shooter’s face and head. Breaking their nose will cause them to be disoriented and head trauma is generally easy to inflict with a tool, even if the attacker is stronger than you. If they are wearing a helmet, focus on the face. You need to surprise them. Attack from the side or the back. A frontal assault will simply leave you dead from gunfire.
I said your intent should be to kill, that’s the mindset. This does not mean you continue attacking if the attacker is unable to move or disoriented. You need to escape the second the attacker is unable to fight or stops attacking you for whatever reason.
DO NOT GRAB THEIR FIREARMS. This is the part of the story we can “what if” to death. Yes, if there is an epic struggle and it’s you and the shooter and they drop a gun - you know how to operate it - empty the magazine into them. But this is not the time for you to guess how a gun works. This is written for people who might not be comfortable with firearms. Also, consider that first responders are looking for armed suspects right now. If they see you armed, they could confuse you for an attacker and kill you.
Gear
This is something you could go wild on, and remember that ounces make pounds. You can’t escape from a threat if you’re weighed down with 50lbs of nonsense. This is where you need to take your personal fitness into account and finances. Survival gear gets expensive really fast, I recommend newsrooms consider purchasing some of this stuff for reporters to share when it makes sense.
Body armor: Fatalities in modern wars are relatively low compared to conflicts in the 20th century and some of this is due to the universal use of body armor.
When purchasing armor, vests themselves don’t offer any protection. When you see troops and cops wearing vests, the actual armor are plates placed inside.
I don’t want to get bogged down into the details of body armor ratings, but you want Level 3, this will stop rounds from a rifle. The size of rounds from rifles are 5.56 mm and 7.62mm. That is what you want to be able to stop.
That said, you won’t be Superman. If you take a round to the armor, it’s likely you’re walking away with a broken rib or something - but your chances of survival skyrocket.
You’ll need two plates, one for the front and back. There are vests that allow small plates on the side of the body. That’s up to you, but you have to consider the weight and your maneuverability. I wouldn’t recommend side plates.
Plates:
https://www.ar500armor.com/level-3.html
Plate carrier:
With the vest, it doesn’t matter too much what you buy. I prefer a low profile plate carrier, I want to be able to move freely and be as lightweight as possible. You do want plenty of velcro space for patches that identify you as press.
This is what I use, but Shellback is a solid company and they have cheaper options I’m sure are fine.
https://www.shellbacktactical.com/shellback-tactical-banshee-rifle-plate-carrier/
There are options to buy press identification with this carrier. I don’t know what those products look like.
I recommend getting a removable velcro patch for identification that is easy to read from a distance. There are extreme situations in which you might want the option to remove anything that identifies you as a reporter.
A note about fitness: Even if you workout, wearing body armor can be taxing if you aren’t used to it. Considering incorporating it into your workouts. I usually do a slow 1 mile run on the treadmill in my armor once a week and a few pullups or pushups. You can hike or put it on in your house and do some bodyweight squats and pushups.
Helmet: These are expensive, but worth investments from newsrooms. It isn’t just gunfire threatening your head, it’s rocks, bricks, and other projectiles. Again, toss from press badges on it.
https://www.hardheadveterans.com/collections/tactical-helmet-hard-head-veterans/products/ballistic-helmet?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fr_BRDaARIsAABw4Euz5q9H1NWosUZ0kAk0iDrcmOOmZHXCIaHTX0-KSfL6V55zUxcsYgEaAncnEALw_wcB
Medical:
You are going to want to have a tourniquet that is easily accessible. This is to restrict the bleeding if you are wounded in a limb. You also want guaze for other wounds and a wound cleaner to combat infections. If you are wounded, it’s critical to clean your injury asap. Bandaids also don’t weigh anything and can’t hurt to pack.
If you are shot, you might have an exit wound - where the bullet left your body. That is likely a larger wound, and should be treated first. Put pressure on your wound and have others help and pack guaze into it.
Use a tourniquet right away for limb wounds. Watch the below video on how to apply one.
Below is my plate carrier. Ignore the ammo magazine pouches - this is my set up for military duty. You’ll see the velcro at the top for press identification and a tourniquet secured with rubber bands on the photo’s left.
Also on the photo’s left is a general use pouch. It isn’t a bad idea to put stuff there you might need quick access too like voice recorders or batteries. On the photos’s right side is a medical pouch. You could put your gauze or person medication there. I recommend identifying it as a medical pouch with a red cross like I have. This allows other people to quickly find your supplies if you’re incapacitated. Unsure if it’s necessary to have your blood type on it, but it cannot hurt and it’s cheap.
Backpack: Beyond what you normally carry around for reporting, I would suggest having enough healthy-ish food and water to sustain yourself for 24 hours. Consider 4-6 bottles of water and a handful of protein bars. I wouldn’t pack junk food.
Protect your eyes! The most devastating part of explosions arguably isn’t the boom itself, but the shrapnel - the bits of the bombs and other debris which fly around after an explosion. Also when bullets impact surfaces, part of those rounds and break and created shrapnel on their own. This is a huge risk to eye injuries.
ESS is the brand of eye protection glasses that’s standard issue in the Army.