May 14, 2015

Passenger Train Derails at 100 mph

A New York bound Amtrak train derailed after entering a curve in

Philadelphia at over 100 miles per hour, according to initial findings of the National Transportation Safet y Board (NTSB),
which killed eight people. The seven-car northeast regional train was carrying 240 people from Washingtons Union
Station when the accident occurred Tuesday evening. First responders arrived to a complex scene of mangled and
overturned cars, with many passengers trapped inside cars, some beneath, and others thrown clear. More than 200
people were transported to hospitalsmany in police squad cars and wagons, and transit authority buses.
Assessment: Rail accidents typically carry access and egress challenges and secondary hazards. In this case,
firefighters gained site access through fencing and had to account for live electrical wires and nearby oil tankers. The
mass casualty incident also required a casualty collection point. One firefighter summed up the operation this way: You
look and see a lot of scared, frightened, injured people. And you know then that theres nothing you can do but just get
them out one at a time. At these type of MCI's, emphasis should be on triage, treatment and removal of critical red tag
patients. This is supported by early sectoring and establishment of access and egress lanes for ambulances.

Firefighters negotiate mangled train car

Taliban Target Foreigners in Hotel Siege A five-hour siege by Taliban gunmen on the Park Place Hotel in Kabul on Wednesday night left
fourteen people dead, including nine foreigners (one American). Afghan special forces rescued 54 people wh o were held captive, killing one or more gunmen
in the process; initial reports indicated three gunmen, but the Taliban and an Afghan police official claimed there was only one. The Taliban specified that
foreigners were being targeted in the claim of responsibility.
Assessment: Most of the deaths likely took place in the first wave of the attack in the hotels restaurant, where gunfire erupted while a party was taking
place. Many more may have been killed in the long standoff, as the attack was ostensibly a suicide mission; these active-shooter events pose wicked
problems (rapidly evolving, difficult to achieve complete situational awareness and reliant on highly coordinated interagency operations) for responders
attempting to mitigate damage and save lives, where gunmen are willing to die for a cause. Terror groups tend to exaggerate claims of casualties and their
attack forces. If it is trueor plausiblethat a lone attacker was responsible for this siege, it would lower the bar to individuals for similar attempts in the future.

Aussie Police Disrupt Teens Mothers Day Bombing Plans

Counterterrorism police raided a Melbourne home in an upmarket

neighborhood on Friday resulting in the seizure of three IEDs and the arrest of a 17-year-old that they say planned to use the devices in an act of terrorism two
days lateron Mothers Day. The arrest follows those of five teenagers last month, also in Melbourne, who were planning an attack on an Anzac Day
ceremony (Watchline 4.23.15), however investigators do not believe there is any connection between the teens or plots. Fridays raid came as the result of a
tip from the public received on a police hotline.
Assessment: The suspects older sister described him as kind, gentle, and softly spoken, and had few friends outside the family. Police are instead
focusing on the possibility of internet-based radicalization. They also stressed the importance of suspicious activity reporting (SAR), including young people
with particular interest in things like electrical items, batteries or chemicals. These in combination with other factors may comprise the basis of SAR. All
emergency responders should be reminded by this imminent attack plot of the importance of SAR.

Pentagon Raises Security Posture at U.S. Military Bases

The Pentagon announced on

Friday that security conditions at U.S. military bases have been increased to Force Protection Bravo, the third of five
levels, indicating an increased and predictable threat of terrorism. Officials say that there is no specific threat or event
prompting the increase, but the growing threats from Islamic State sympathizers on American soil. A Defense
Department statement said the measure would help to ensure increased vigilance and safeguarding of all DOD
personnel, installations and facilities. The tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was the last time Bravo was initiated.
Assessment: Islamic State-related social media posts have increasingly called for attacks on U.S. military
personnelas well as law enforcement and government personnelsince the beginning of the year, including names
and addresses of specific individuals. It was recently learned that one of the jihadists in the Garland, Texas attack had
tweeted the name and address of a U.S. military officer days prior to the attack where he was killed. Emergency
responders should bear in mind that uniformed military and non-military personnel are especially vulnerable to attack
when in public. May 18-22 marks annual Fleet Week in NYC when thousands from the maritime services converge and
disburse ashore in celebration. All uniformed members should be on heightened awareness.

Baghdadi: I Want You for the Caliphate Army

In his first public pronouncement in months, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
exhorted Muslims everywhere to come join the fight in the Syria/Iraq caliphate. Translations in English, Turkish, French, and Russian were released along with
the audio on militant websites. The message was posted weeks after it was first reported that Baghdadi was no longer in day-to-day command of IS after being
seriously or mortally wounded in a coalition airstrike.
Assessment: A call for fighters (and laborers) to the Syria/Iraq theatre may be viewed as an indication of the poor health of Islamic State, or to the inward
focus of IS (as opposed to AQWatchline 05.07.15) on its caliphate. Additionally it may have been seen as necessary to dispel reports of Baghdadis death
or incapacitation. As for direct impact to the U.S. and the West, the danger from jihadists heeding the call is twofold: Those answering and successfully
travelling to the front may receive training, direction, and motivation to return and conduct an attack in the homeland (boomerang jihadists). And those with a
strong desire to travel to Syria/Iraq but are rebuffed may then decide to conduct an attack in the homeland as the next best alternative. Both have occurred.
Baghdadi also called upon every Muslim to to fight in his land wherever he may be as an alternative to travel to the Islamic State.

Where Waldo Cant Hide (for long)

A Ph.D. student at Michigan State has developed an algorithm that

maximizes the best search pattern for finding the ever-elusive Waldo, who has been the subject of seven main childrens books
(and many offshoots) since the late 1980s. Waldos coordinates on respective pages were plotted and then analyzed. The result
was an optimized search pattern for finding Waldo (a serpentine movement starting from the lower left), a color-coded graph called
a kernel density estimate with likely Waldo hotspots, and even a traveling salesman treatment on the fastest search strategy.
Assessment: Sound search techniques are fundamental skills of firefighting, requiring awareness and discipline. The vertical
nature of dense, urban areas makes searches even more difficult. Firefighters must think in three dimensions, instead of the
simpler X and Y coordinates that eventually pinpoint Waldo. Tracking technologies, whether GPS or RFID based, are becoming
more sophisticated and precise, but accurate data on floor or altitude remain elusive. Analysis of social media posts, or any other
data sets, can assist responders at many types of emergencies that require searches, including active shooter incidents, or even
large-scale catastrophes, such as earthquakes.

Watchline@fdny.nyc.gov
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