Office for Bombing Prevention Bulletin #12

As the threat landscape evolves, preventative measures must respond in kind. CISA OBP’s latest Bomb Threat Guide helps organizations develop or revise a bomb threat response plan and contingencies if an individual discovers a suspicious item.

Specifically, this version expands on previous guidance with additional information for an orderly and controlled response to a bomb threat. The guide helps minimize and mitigate potential immediate operational and psychological impacts and secondary impacts, such as the financial implications that may take time to appear.

CISA OBP recommends facility owners and operators periodically review federal guidance (including this product) and collaborate with first responders to establish and rehearse a bomb threat management plan that addresses their site-specific risk level. 

Sections of the Bomb Threat Guide include:

• Planning and preparation
• Receiving a threat
• Threat assessment
• Responses
• Suspicious items
• Additional resources and training opportunities

CISA OBP’s Training Branch Chief Curt Tilley noted, “Not only did we see a 35 percent increase in U.S. bomb threats from 2021 to 2022, but we are also now witnessing record-high synchronized threats across the country. As such, it is more important than ever to remain vigilant in planning for these incidents to mitigate the impact on personnel and infrastructure.” He added, “This new product provides comprehensive planning solutions and resources that apply to every organization, and we highly recommend utilizing it to improve security postures.”

To access the Bomb Threat Guide and other training opportunities and resources, please visit Bombing Prevention | Training.

CISA OBP recently released a fact sheet on its Technical Assistance Program (TAP). The program champions strong counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) interagency collaboration, along with community partnerships between the federal government, neighboring jurisdictions and the private sector to enhance capabilities nationwide. TAP ensures communities have the tools and procedures to effectively manage an improvised explosive device (IED) incident at the strategic, operational and tactical levels while promoting new bombing prevention technologies and methods. Technical Assistance Branch Chief Darrin Flick explains, “With the surge in bomb threats nationwide, this program prepares all community members to cohesively enhance and maintain their collective C-IED preparedness and response.”

For more information about CISA OBP’s Technical Assistance Program, please contact CISA OBP Operations.

Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits are essential to many CISA OBP students and trainees for professional memberships, and employers often require them. This year, CISA OBP renewed its status as an “Accredited Provider” with the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). IACET is widely known as an international standard of excellence. Obtaining and perpetuating this status allows CISA OBP to issue CEU credits under the program. CISA OBP verified that its training was effectively developed and delivered to obtain this five-year accreditation and that learning outcomes were achieved through documented procedures. Leveraging a continuous process improvement plan, the CISA OBP quality assurance team monitors the effectiveness of the Office’s training program, ensuring services and products meet quality standards, strategic goals and objectives for the CISA Infrastructure Security mission. Since obtaining IACET certification in 2019, CISA OBP has issued over 28,000 CEU credits to learners nationwide.

For more information about CISA, including access to awareness products, training opportunities or other resources, visit Office for Bombing Prevention | CISA.

In collaboration with the federal Joint Program Office for Countering-Improvised Explosive Devices (JPO C-IED) and interagency partners, CISA OBP developed the federally sponsored C-IED Training and Education Resources Catalog for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial (SLTT) and Private Sectors. This catalog compiles explosive and IED-related federal training and education resources for the SLTT and private sector communities.

The JPO C-IED coordinates the implementation of the U.S. policy for C-IEDs. The resources within the catalog support the goals and capabilities outlined by this policy and enhance the effectiveness of U.S. C-IED efforts.

To view the catalog, please visit Federally Sponsored C-IED Training and Education Resources Catalog | CISA.

As part of CISA OBP’s efforts to enhance national security by building public and private capabilities to deter, prevent and respond to bombing incidents, the office developed a suite of products to recognize and report suspicious activity using the acronym BOMBER. The acronym standardizes suggested bomb threat planning and response measures, including:

• Baseline: Establish a baseline of what normal behaviors and activities look like. 
• Operational Indicators: A bombing attack requires a planning process that may include surveillance, target selection, testing or probing security and practice runs. 
• Materials: Terrorists and criminals acquire materials to create a homemade or improvised explosive device. 
• Bomb-Building Activity: Potential indicators of bomb-building activity include evidence of bomb-making research, testing of mixtures or devices, and chemical exposure. 
• Elicitation: An attempt to discreetly gain information by asking questions about a place, person or operation. 
• Respond: Report suspicious activity. 

Among the items included in this collection of resources are:

• Identify Suspicious Activity Card and Poster
• Identifying Suspicious Activity Video
• Suspicious Activity Recognition for Bombing Prevention Course

To learn more, visit Office for Bombing Prevention | CISA.

In collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, CISA OBP developed the “ATM Attacks Threat Awareness” poster for the banking industry. This product identifies indicators of potential terrorist and criminal explosive attacks and highlights the risk explosive attacks pose to bystanders and infrastructure. This collaborative product has been socialized and is used by partners domestically and internationally.

To share this graphic with CISA OBP stakeholders, please visit ATM Threat Awareness Poster |CISA.

CISA OBP launched the Bomb Technician Information Portal (BTIP) on CISA OBP’s Technical Resource for Incident Prevention (TRIPwire) website. This collaborative effort with the National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board (NBSCAB) enhances information and resource sharing among the public safety bomb technician community. BTIP is a segmented portal on TRIPwire with the following features:  

• Calendar with pertinent information about events of interest
• Library of documents, videos, presentations etc., organized by category that includes a keyword search function
• Maps with improvised explosive device/improvised incendiary device incident locations, contact information for NBSCAB regional representatives, contact information for agencies with bomb squads, explosives detection canine teams, tactical teams or dive teams
• Links to other partner organizations of interest

These features allow users to add events to the portal’s calendar and upload approved documents to the library. BTIP access is limited to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hazardous Devices School-certified bomb technicians with an active TRIPwire account. Visitors may access the portal in TRIPwire by selecting “Preparedness” and then clicking “Bomb Technician Information Portal.”  

To register for a TRIPwire account, visit TRIPwire registration. For TRIPwire account resets, please call 866-987-9473 or email tripwirehelp@cisa.dhs.gov.

CISA OBP created a ready reference for individuals interested in school safety. This reference highlights specific resources applicable to the K-12 audience. Visitors can improve their bombing prevention awareness and preparedness by exploring resources, such as instructor-led virtual training, the “What to Do” video series, a comprehensive Bomb Threat Guide, a checklist of actions to take, quick reference postcards and accessibility to TRIPwire, an online information-sharing and resource portal.

To access this resource, visit Bombing Prevention Assistance for K-12 Schools | CISA.

Las Vegas Police, Fire and Rescue academies are integrating the CISA OBP course curriculum into their resident training pipelines through the Empowered Trainer Program (ETP). Currently, these Las Vegas-based empowered trainers are teaching the Bombing Prevention Awareness Course (BPAC), followed by a live demonstration of explosive effects at the following venues:

• Vegas Valley Police Academy (North Las Vegas Police Department)
• Southern Desert Regional Police Academy (Las Vegas Fire and Rescue (LVFR) Bomb Squad, city marshals and corrections)
• Henderson Police Academy
• Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Additionally, the North Las Vegas Fire Department Academy and Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Academy teach condensed modules to attendees and intend to incorporate the full BPAC into the curriculum.

In support of this partnership, CISA OBP’s Training Branch Chief Curt Tilley stated, “This newly incorporated training truly demonstrates the force multiplier and expanded capabilities the ETP provides. It also highlights support from LVFR to commit their time and efforts to these bombing prevention courses.”

To learn more about the Train-the-Trainer Program, visit this TtT Fact Sheet | CISA or email OBPTraining@cisa.dhs.gov.