Enemy at the Gate: Stay alert to guard safety

On September 11, 2001, the United States of America was sucker-punched by a bunch of fanatics who were sent to their deaths along with 6,000 plus innocents, by a maniac who has the audacity to call us the great Satan. The attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington hurt us, but we are still on our feet. We were all angry and maybe a little scared right after it happened, but the anger and fear were replaced with a cold resolve after we heard the President’s speech and his promise that we will bring those responsible to justice.
Justice will take time my friends, and we will win, but we as a nation must expect getting hurt some more while we close in on them. Some of us will lose friends and family in the final battles. While this will be a hard price for us to pay, the only alternative to not wiping out terrorism is to give our kids and grandkids a world filled with ever increasing levels of terror.

Weapons of terrorism
Terrorism’s main weapon is the creation of individual fear and loss of confidence in government’s ability to protect its citizenry. Religious or political terrorist groups are usually well financed and trained. Depriving them of their funding and their leadership will cause the rest of the terrorist followers to dissolve into splinter groups who will continue to fight for power amongst themselves.
Speaking in broad terms, most terrorists are not impossible to catch. Their speech and actions give them away because their brains have been laundered with hate propaganda. Hate and fanaticism always makes one jerky and suspicious. Your average terrorist is not superior in strength or intelligence; the opposite is usually true. The trick to defeating them is not to get sucker-punched in the first place. So stay alert, stay aware, and be smart, and we will win this war on terrorism a whole lot faster.

Know your enemy
What can you as an aviation professional do to stop terrorism? First rule in any battle is to Know your Enemy. Get on the Internet and do a little research on terrorist tactics. Find out who they are, what they want, and see if any of the previous tactics can be used against your place of business.
Control the playing field
Second rule is to Control the Playing Field. It’s your hangar, your airport, your facility. If anything looks suspicious on the parking lot, ramp, inside the terminal, or hangar, look into it! Trucks and cars that are parked close to buildings, sealed boxes left in bathrooms, people hanging around all day with video cameras or taking notes all need to be investigated. Rethink the access to fuel facilities, parts rooms, baggage transfer areas, and sterile areas.

Plan for the worst
The third rule is to Plan for the Worst. Have both an individual and company action plan in place to handle all possible terrorist acts including chemical, biological, hostage takeover, and bombs. Make sure your company’s action plan dovetails with the city, country, or airport’s emergency manual or plan. Have a list of emergency telephone numbers by the telephone so you can call if something looks suspicious or the worst has happened.

Keep everyone informed
Fourth rule is to Keep Everyone Informed. Rumors and not knowing what is going on can destroy company morale and raise an individual’s level of anxiety over the long run. Make sure your employees know the emergency plan and every few months have a dry run so everyone knows their part. Encourage your employees to get First Aid and CPR training. When employees are empowered and trained, the level of concern goes way down.

Control information
Control Information is the fifth rule. If someone asks too many questions on specific areas like, "How are bags screened?", or "What ID is allowed on the ramps?", or "When do fuel trucks deliver fuel to the fuel farm?"; tell them that you are busy or don’t know but you can find out. Ask them for their name and phone number and you’ll get back to them. Most likely, they will hang up, or leave, or you will get a false name and number. Either way, be sure to call the airport police, FBI, or local police immediately.