Ambulance snatching: how vulnerable are we?

Alves, Donald W.; Bissell, Richard A.

doi:10.1016/s0736-4679(03)00177-x

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…9,10 A study undertaken in the United States also found that the vast majority of ambulances at hospitals are left unguarded and unlocked. 12 All attacks reported here have occurred in either the Middle East or South Asia, suggesting that terrorist organizations can more easily acquire ambulances in these geographic areas in comparison to other locations. The lack of ambulance-related attacks on other continents may indicate difficulty in acquiring ambulances in those areas, which is speculated to be due to the differences in ambulance designs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Terrorists Use of Ambulances for Terror Attacks: A Review

Jasani

Alfalasi

Cavaliere

et al. 2020

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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Introduction: Using an ambulance as an attack modality offers many advantages to a terrorist organization. Ambulances can carry more explosives than most vehicles and can often bypass security. Yet, studies examining how terrorist organizations have incorporated ambulances into their attacks are lacking. Study Objective: This article seeks to identify and analyze known instances in which an ambulance has been used in a terrorist attack. Methods: The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was searched for terrorist events that involved the use of an ambulance from the years 1970-2018. Variables of event time, location, and loss of life were analyzed. Results: Twenty instances where an ambulance had been used in a terrorist attack were identified from the GTD. Fifteen of the attacks occurred in the Middle East, while the remaining five occurred in Southeast Asia. All attacks except one had occurred after 2001, and 13 had occurred within the past decade. Most attacks (12/20) resulted in up to three people killed, while six attacks had 10-20 casualties. The deadliest attack occurred in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2018 and caused over 100 casualties. One event did not have casualty information in the GTD. In all cases, ambulances were used as vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) by terrorist organizations. Conclusion: This study shows that terrorists are increasingly acquiring and utilizing ambulances in their attacks, often with deadly consequences. Security and public health experts must be aware of this hazard and work to deny terrorists access to these vehicles.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Terrorists Use of Ambulances for Terror Attacks: A Review

Jasani

Alfalasi

Cavaliere

et al. 2020

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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“…The workshops identified concerns about the restraint of violent patients, potential isolation of staff and risk of theft. Research on general security issues found that 90% of ambulances were left unattended and 84% were unlocked 18. This is an area of concern and most ambulance trusts have policies and procedures on violence and aggression.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing emergency ambulances for the 21st century

Hignett

Crumpton²,

Coleman³

2009

Emergency Medicine Journal

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“…It also is necessary to limit access to the hospital ambulance dock (to prevent car bomb attacks) and to check for handguns, knives, and other weapons. Metal detectors rarely are used presently, despite the frequency of violent incidents in some communities, and especially more frequently now at the ED 30 31 Given these facts, it may be that many hospitals’ plans are not adequate to deal with a direct attack.…”

Section: Reportmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This warning came 12 years after a study revealed the vulnerability of the ambulance system for possible hijacking for terrorism purposes. 29 Thus, this class of threat has been generally known for some time now: most hospitals could be targets. But a question arises: Are planned responses sufficient?…”

Section: Reportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospitals: Soft Target for Terrorism?

Cauwer¹,

Somville

Sabbé

et al. 2016

Prehosp. Disaster med.

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In recent years, the world has been rocked repeatedly by terrorist attacks. Arguably, the most remarkable were: the series of four coordinated suicide plane attacks on September 11, 2001 on buildings in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, USA; and the recent series of two coordinated attacks in Brussels (Belgium), on March 22, 2016, involving two bombings at the departure hall of Brussels International Airport and a bombing at Maalbeek Metro Station located near the European Commission headquarters in the center of Brussels. This statement paper deals with different aspects of hospital policy and disaster response planning that interface with terrorism. Research shows that the availability of necessary equipment and facilities (eg, personal protective clothing, decontamination rooms, antidotes, and anti-viral drugs) in hospitals clearly is insufficient. Emergency teams are insufficiently prepared: adequate and repetitive training remain necessary. Unfortunately, there are many examples of health care workers and physicians or hospitals being targeted in both political or religious conflicts and wars. Many health workers were kidnapped and/or killed by insurgents of various ideology. Attacks on hospitals also could cause long-term effects: hospital units could be unavailable for a long time and replacing staff could take several months, further compounding hospital operations. Both physical and psychological (eg, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) after-effects of a terrorist attack can be detrimental to health care services. On the other hand, physicians and other hospital employees have shown to be involved in terrorism. As data show that some offenders had a previous history with the location of the terror incident, the possibility of hospitals or other health care services being targeted by insiders is discussed. The purpose of this report was to consider how past terrorist incidents can inform current hospital preparedness and disaster response planning. De Cauwer H , Somville F , Sabbe M , Mortelmans LJ . Hospitals: soft target for terrorism? Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(1):94-100.

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Ambulance snatching: how vulnerable are we?

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Terrorists Use of Ambulances for Terror Attacks: A Review

Terrorists Use of Ambulances for Terror Attacks: A Review

Designing emergency ambulances for the 21st century

Hospitals: Soft Target for Terrorism?

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