The menace is upon us, and with the overwhelming shortage of disaster management/prevention techniques, any and all information disbursed must be shared.(Bruno Mars won’t be catching no grenades for us.)
Thanks to World Vision Kenya’s latest report on Terror Attacks in Kenya [PDF File], here’s some highlights on how to deal in light of a grenade attack. We cannot afford to entertain ignorance on such a matter as this, so do spread the word and let’s mitigate the risk.
“The war with the Somali Militant group ALSHABAAB has seen them turn to Nairobi and other towns of Kenya where they target innocent civilians because they are soft targets.
Their weapon of choice is the hand grenade. They are striking at night when visibility is low hence the chances of being seen are minimal and also getting away from the scene is smooth in the cover of darkness. This is also the time when there are not many law enforcement officers in Patrol.
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU SEE A GRENADE THROWN OR HEAR A BLAST:
If a grenade rolls to your feet:
1. Turn in the opposite direction and take one giant step.
2. Drop to the floor immediately, face down.
3. Cross your legs, keeping them straight with your feet pointing toward the grenade. We cross legs to protect vital organs, arteries and nerves on the legs.
4. Keep your arms at the back of your head at the nape of the neck these also will protect major arteries.
5. Keep your mouth open to balance pressure so your eardrums don’t burst.
If you hear a blast do as above. Don’t keep running. The blast range for a grenade is about 30 metres in all directions. You will sustain far less injury if you are face down on the ground than if you are upright. Grenade fuse-times are between four and eight seconds. So you can never outrun the impact.
IMPORTANT: If you hear an explosion and you are not in that locality, do not go there to check; another one may be thrown in the gathered crowd – go as far away as possible.
FIRST AID
1. Conduct a scene survey TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE SAFE and if person is injured because of a blast you should suspect a head or spinal injury therefore, prevent any movement.
2. If there is severe bleeding stabilize it immediately as loss of blood can cause shock and death very quickly. Use of direct pressure or tourniquet if a limb has been severed.
3. Make sure the casualty is rested in a semi-sitting position if there is no suspected head or spinal injury. Send for medical help.
4. Monitor breathing and if ineffective, give assisted breathing. If breathing stops, give ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION.
5. Give person care until medical help arrives.
ADVISORY:
1. If you are going shopping, make sure you know the exit routes of the supermarket you are in, do not go with children and spend as little time as possible there. Always be on the look out for suspicious characters.
2. Do not spend time at bus stops; get on to the earliest bus/Matatu and leave.
3. Avoid the city center as much as possible.
4. Keep your family and friends informed of your where-abouts.
5. Report any luggage in any public place that is left unattended immediately to the authorities and leave the scene as soon as possible.”
Check out the rest of the report for more details and some visuals on what to do. Be safe!
