As received; Dear All, Bomb explosions are becoming the order of the day in Kenya. They have actually turned out to be real and one cannot afford to brush them off as their impact is devastating! Though it is not expressly possible to stop their occurrences, something can be done to reduce the fatality and injury rates through awareness initiatives. Today, I will share with you information related to “WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE TRAPPED IN A BOMB EXPLOSION”. Most explosives are designed to detonate in a flower bouquet pattern throwing the bomb fragments horizontally between two and six feet above the ground. This pattern escalates the likelihood of hitting standing humans by these fragments. Therefore, the best place to be in an event of an explosion is to lay flat on your chest on the ground with the soles of your feet facing the area of the blast. Stay calm and extend your legs moderately apart: if you tighten them together, you increase the likelihood of losing both legs, whereas when the legs are spread apart, you have a greater chance of saving one leg from the blast; spreading the legs too far apart, however, leaves the groin exposed. In addition to the obvious reasons for protecting the groin area, you also want to avoid injury to that area because of the major arteries in that part of the body, which can lead to rapid blood loss if injured. Keep your mouth open and breathe in small intervals. The most deadly aspect in an explosion is not bomb fragments or heat, it is the blast overpressure. The blast wave travels at supersonic velocity and severely affects the air-filled organs like lungs, kidneys, and bowels. People naturally tend to take a deep breath and hold it in emergencies. However, this proves lethal in a bombing situation, since our lungs become like a pressurized balloon to be ruptured by the blast wave. The majority of deaths in an explosion die from internal bleeding in the lungs. Only 6% on average die from the bomb fragments wounds. Your chances of injury with empty lungs are far smaller compared to holding your breath. Finally, you must choose what to do with your hands. Some people instinctively cover their ears at the sound of a blast. If youre close to a large explosion, you will probably have both eardrums burst, even if you cover them with your hands (due to the aforementioned shockwave). While laying flat on the ground, the idea is to reduce your lateral profile as much as possible, which means laying with one cheek on the ground. Place one hand tightly over your exposed eye. Place the other arm against your body. Remember, the explosion takes seconds and you are the only one who can help yourself during this moment. Major (Rtd) Mohamed D. Morowa Head of Security Services Kenya Ports Authority, Mombasa +254722262639
Posted on: Tue, 06 May 2014 12:15:18 +0000
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