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Bomb Threat Safety: Your Evacuation Plan Is Doing More Harm Than Good
When the instinct to evacuate becomes the vulnerability an attacker wants, learn how to think smarter so your accountability systems do not turn into kill zones.
Spencer Coursen
September 17, 2025
“Targeted violence thrives at the intersection of predictability, isolation, and false security.” — Spencer Coursen
Why This Matters
Evacuations are taught as the default “safe” response to a bomb threat. That training makes sense if the threat of a bomb is real. Meaning…one is actually believed to have been found. Schools and offices gain safety from dispersion and compartmentalization. Forcing everyone to a single, preselected assembly point eliminates that protection and creates a concentrated target.
It is time to move past outdated drills that prioritize accountability alone and adopt practical, realistic strategies that emphasize violence prevention, risk reduction, and above all, survivability.
Social Media provides violent offenders with the research and planning they need to make their targeted attacks more successful.
The Hard Truth About Bomb Threats
Most bomb-threat incidents are intended to disrupt, probe, or draw people out into more vulnerable places. Building a credible, targeted explosive attack is logistically difficult and risky for the offender, which is why threats are often used as tools rather than honest warnings. That reality does not mean the threat is harmless. When a threat is part of a plan, a known evacuation zone is exactly what an attacker wants: a concentrated target with predictable movement and clear lines of sight.
Building A Bomb Is Not Easy
Building a viable explosive device takes extensive planning, privacy, and technical skill. An offender must first decide that a bomb is the best way to achieve their grievance and that they can reasonably make it work. Next comes research: selecting a design that matches their capability, sourcing materials, and finding a private workspace to assemble the components. If they are not a pro, they will likely need to test and refine the device, which will place them at an additional risk of being discovered. Finally, the hardest steps remain: studying the target, bypassing security, placing the device, and escaping without detection.
All of this is an incredibly arduous endeavor. There are literally thousands of chances for the bomber to fail, but only one chance for them to succeed. So, why would they go through all of this activity only to sabotage their success by warning their target with a phone call?
When a threat is part of a plan, a known evacuation zone is exactly what an attacker wants: a concentrated target with predictable movement and clear lines of sight.
This has happened before.
The plan was to call in a bomb threat and then attack students as they evacuated the building…
“Police said the alleged plot was for a bomb threat to be called into the school. As students and staff were evacuating, the two students would shoot people as they came out.”
Top three reasons for a bomb threat:
“Disruptive efforts” — The offender wants to disrupt the normal operational function of an organization. The offender feels empowered by their ability to create chaos and sow disruption. (Historically, this is the most common finding)
“Probing” — The offender is conducting research and planning on how their future plan of attack can be maximized. The offender communicates the bomb threat to their target to study how quickly the building is evacuated, where people congregate, and for how long. The offender then incorporates these findings into their attack plan. (In today’s threat matrix, this reason is rising in likelihood)
“The diversion.” The offender wants to get everyone “outside” of the secured interior and out into a more vulnerable exterior setting. (This is the most realistic expectation of future concern)
Bottom Line
No matter where you spend the better part of your day, be it at home, school, work, or the gym, take a few minutes this week to look around with a survivability mindset. Do you know more than one way out? Did you notice where the designated assembly point is? Does that location make you feel safer or does it put you at greater risk?
Think about what you would do and where you would go if you had to leave in a real emergency.
Your safety is not determined by how well you check the box or follow the leader. It will be determined by how well you think ahead, trust your instincts, and choose to prioritize your survivability over predictable routine.
Be smart. Be aware. Stay alive.
Full Bomb Threat Checklist: http://emilms.fema.gov/is906/assets/ocso-bomb_threat_samepage-brochure.pdf
Five Protective Strategies You Can Employ Today:
1. Never assume the assembly point is safe
If a building is being cleared because of a bomb threat, avoid going to the pre-designated assembly point. Move away from the building perimeter and disperse to multiple, non-obvious locations (or go home). When the situation warrants it, your best outcome is to remove yourself from the predictable vectors of harm.
2. Treat any evacuation as the end of your workday
If your organization initiates a formal evacuation for a credible threat, treat the event as over for that day: don’t return to work, don’t re-enter until authorities give the all-clear, and allow investigators time to do their job. Early attempts to “get back to normal” can get people injured.
3. Make survivability your personal policy
Even if an organization’s plan has not caught up with modern threats, you can adopt one that has. Commit now that in any evacuation, your priority is survival—not compliance with outdated check-the-box drills.
4. Honor your instincts
If something feels wrong about the instructions you’re being given, or about the environment outside, act on that intuition. Survival often depends on recognizing and responding to subtle warning signs before others do.
5. Maintain your situational awareness
Do not switch to “autopilot” once outside. Stay alert to exits, potential cover, vehicles, or suspicious behavior. Real safety comes from observing and adapting to the environment in real time.
Disagree with anything? Hit reply—I always read your responses.
Live Smart. Stay Safe.
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