TSM CIVILIAN · PUBLIC PREPAREDNESS

PREPARED PEOPLE. SAFER COMMUNITIES.

Practical knowledge for ordinary people facing extraordinary situations.

Recognise what matters. Protect life. Help safely. Report clearly. Preserve what matters — until professionals take over.

Explore the practical guidance ↓The civilian role in the first minutes →

RECOGNISE

Notice when normal has changed.

PROTECT

Create distance and safer options.

HELP

Give simple, safe help that matters.

REPORT

Give responders useful information.

PRESERVE

Life first. Then protect evidence and information.

THE CIVILIAN ROLE IN THE FIRST MINUTES

The first useful action often happens before professionals arrive.

The goal is not to turn civilians into responders. It is to build enough judgement to avoid making a critical situation worse — and to help safely when it matters.

INDIVIDUALS

Recognise danger earlier and make proportionate decisions.

FAMILIES

Prepare without frightening children; keep plans simple and usable.

COMMUNITIES

Reduce confusion, support vulnerable people and pass useful information.

PROFESSIONAL INTERFACE

Help emergency services by protecting access, information and evidence.

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE

What would actually help in the first minutes?

Short, evidence-based modules. Open any topic for practical guidance, the reasoning behind it and the international reference basis.

VIOLENCE & ATTACKCover or concealment? Learn the difference before you need it.

WHY IT MATTERS

When deliberate violence begins, the first objective is to get away from the threat if a safe route exists. If escape is not possible, hiding should reduce both visibility and access.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Look for a safe route away from the threat.
Know that being out of sight is not the same as being physically protected.
Keep an exit in mind; do not let a hiding place become a trap.

AVOID THIS

Move toward the incident to understand or film it.
Assume glass, ordinary furniture or a thin partition is reliable protection.
Re-enter once you have reached a safer area.

CONCEALMENT hides you. COVER may protect you.

CONCEALMENT

It may prevent the attacker seeing you, but it may offer little physical protection.

COVER

A substantial barrier may reduce exposure. Never assume any object is guaranteed ballistic protection.

Reference basis:Counter Terrorism Policing — RUN HIDE TELL · FBI — Active Shooter Quick Reference / Run Hide Fight

FIRST LOOKA first look for immediate life threats — not formal triage.

WHY IT MATTERS

This is not formal triage. It is a simple first look: check that it is safe enough to approach, call 112, identify obvious life threats and give only the lifesaving help you can safely provide.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Stop and check for hazards before approaching.
Call 112 early and follow the call handler’s instructions.
Look first for life-threatening bleeding, unresponsiveness, abnormal breathing or severe distress.

AVOID THIS

Assign medical triage categories if you are not trained to do so.
Move casualties unnecessarily.
Let helping one person prevent you from noticing a more immediate life threat nearby.

A simple first look — not formal triageIs it safe enough to help?↓Call 112 / get help↓Who can move themselves to a safer place?

Life-threatening bleedingUnresponsive / abnormal breathingSevere distress

↓Give only simple lifesaving aid you know↓Reassess and hand over to professionals

Reference basis:WHO — Community First Aid Response · WHO — Community First Aid Response Pocket Guide · European Commission — 112 emergency number

SEVERE BLEEDINGMinutes matter — start with firm, continuous direct pressure.

WHY IT MATTERS

Severe external bleeding can become life-threatening quickly. International first-aid guidance prioritises direct pressure and early access to emergency medical services.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Call 112 and help only if it is safe enough to do so.
Use a barrier or gloves if available.
Press firmly and continuously on the source of bleeding with clean material.

AVOID THIS

Repeatedly lift the dressing to check the wound.
Spend time searching for perfect equipment before applying pressure.
Use advanced techniques you have never been taught when direct pressure is working.

Reference basis:IFRC — International First Aid, Resuscitation and Education Guidelines 2025 · American College of Surgeons — Stop the Bleed · WHO — Community First Aid Response Pocket Guide

FIRE & SMOKESmoke changes the route. Your familiar exit may no longer be the safe exit.

WHY IT MATTERS

Fire escape depends on early movement, usable exits and avoiding smoke. A pre-planned second way out matters because conditions can change fast.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Know more than one way out of places where you spend time.
If you must move through smoke, stay low and move toward a safe exit.
Once out, stay out and tell responders if someone is still inside.

AVOID THIS

Use a normal lift unless authorities identify it as an evacuation lift or instruct you to use it.
Return for belongings.
Open a hot door or move deeper into smoke to find out what is happening.

Reference basis:U.S. Fire Administration — Home Fire Escape Plans

CROWD & CRUSHThe warning sign is not screaming. It is losing control of your own movement.

WHY IT MATTERS

Dangerous crowd conditions often develop through density, bottlenecks, surging and blocked routes. Recognising the change early is more useful than waiting for visible panic.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Leave high-density areas early if a safer route is available.
Keep doorways, stairs and narrow routes moving; do not stop in choke points.
Report dangerous congestion to stewards, venue staff or emergency services.

AVOID THIS

Push against the crowd to force your own route.
Climb barriers or enter restricted areas to “help manage” the crowd.
Ignore early signs of congestion because people still appear calm.

Reference basis:UK HSE — Crowd safety risk and crowd dynamics

UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE / CBRNDistance before diagnosis. Do not investigate an unknown hazard yourself.

WHY IT MATTERS

An unusual smell, vapour, powder or contamination is not a cue to identify the substance. The first civilian priority is to reduce exposure and follow official instructions.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Move away from the suspected source if you may have been exposed.
Avoid direct contact and prevent others from entering if you can do so safely.
Follow official instructions on evacuation, sheltering and decontamination.

AVOID THIS

Touch, smell or collect a sample.
Go back for a closer photograph.
Assume every chemical release requires the same evacuation direction.

Reference basis:CDC — What to Do in a Chemical Emergency

CHILDREN & FAMILYChildren change mobility, communication, time and priorities.

WHY IT MATTERS

Children do not need frightening detail. They need adults who have made a few decisions in advance and can give clear, age-appropriate instructions under stress.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Agree a simple family meeting point and an out-of-area contact.
Use short, concrete instructions when immediate movement is needed.
Decide in advance which adult is responsible for which child in a fast evacuation.

AVOID THIS

Send a child back for belongings.
Give complex explanations while immediate action is needed.
Use frightening scenario drills that children do not understand.

Reference basis:Counter Terrorism Policing — RUN HIDE TELL

REPORT WHAT MATTERSMake your call useful: WHAT · WHERE · DANGER · PEOPLE · ACCESS.

WHY IT MATTERS

Emergency operators need a usable picture, not a perfect story. Give the most important facts first and stay available for questions.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Say what is happening and give the most precise location you can.
Describe the current danger, number of people affected and any safe access information you know.
For a deliberate attack, report suspect location, direction, description and visible weapons only if you actually observed them.

AVOID THIS

Guess when you are uncertain.
Flood the call with background detail before giving the location and immediate danger.
Publish sensitive real-time information before responders can use it.

Reference basis:Counter Terrorism Policing — RUN HIDE TELL · European Commission — 112 emergency number

PRESERVE WHAT MATTERSLife first. Evidence second. But evidence still matters.

WHY IT MATTERS

Saving life always overrides scene preservation. Once people are safe, avoid unnecessary changes that can destroy, move or contaminate material important to an investigation.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Move what you must to save life — then remember and report what you changed.
Leave other objects where they are and keep unnecessary people out.
Keep original photos and videos unedited if they may be relevant; offer them to police.

AVOID THIS

Stay in or re-enter danger to protect evidence.
Clean, rearrange or collect objects.
Edit, filter or overwrite the only original copy of potentially relevant media.

Reference basis:ENFSI — Best Practice Manual for the Scene of Crime Examination · NIST — Digital Evidence Preservation: Considerations for Evidence Handlers

RECORD WHAT YOU WITNESSEDWrite down what you personally saw and heard before later discussion or online content can influence your account.

WHY IT MATTERS

Conversations, social media and later information can influence a witness’s recollection. Record your own first-hand account before you are exposed to other versions.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Note what you personally saw and heard, including where you were and the direction of movement.
Separate observation from assumption: “I saw…” is different from “I think…”.
If you do not know, say so. Uncertainty is more useful than a confident guess.

AVOID THIS

Compare stories in detail before giving your own account.
Fill gaps from another witness or a social-media post.
Change an uncertain memory simply because someone else sounds confident.

Reference basis:College of Policing — Advice on information exposure for witnesses · College of Policing — Allowing uncertainty in witness accounts

AFTER THE INCIDENTThe danger may be over. Your role may not be.

WHY IT MATTERS

After a major incident, authorities may need witnesses, original digital material, accurate family information and space to work. Recovery also means protecting yourself from unnecessary exposure.

WHAT TO NOTICE / DO

Remain reachable if police or emergency services ask for follow-up.
Preserve original media and make a note of later information you are exposed to.
Use official reunification and missing-person channels rather than returning to restricted areas.

AVOID THIS

Return to the scene for belongings or photographs.
Post unverified identities, casualty details or sensitive images.
Assume distress reactions mean you must deal with the event alone.

Reference basis:College of Policing — Advice on information exposure for witnesses · European Commission — 112 emergency number

TSM Civilian

“You do not need to become a responder. You need to know what helps — and what can make things worse.”

A modern civilian-resilience layer

TSM Civilian translates selected principles from emergency care, counter-terrorism guidance, crowd safety and forensic scene management into practical public knowledge. It deliberately stops short of specialist tactics and formal professional certification.

DEVELOPING TSM INITIATIVE

From public knowledge to future practical learning.

The civilian strand is being developed as a research-informed public preparedness initiative. Future formats may include scenario-based learning, practical workshops and assessed modules, subject to appropriate medical, legal and professional validation.

International reference basis

TSM Civilian provides general preparedness information. It is not an emergency service, medical diagnosis, formal triage qualification, or a substitute for locally approved first-aid or emergency-response training. In an emergency, follow local authorities and emergency operators. Never remain in or re-enter a dangerous area to preserve evidence.

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