Surviving a Hostage Situation or Terrorist Attack

In the last two days, there have been a lot of headlines about hostage situations and terrorist attacks.
Yesterday, a man claiming to be a member of the Islamic State held employees and patrons hostage in a cafe in Sydney, Australia for 17 hours, refusing to let them go until his demands were met. A few of the hostages managed to escape, and police eventually intervened to free the others. By the end of the ordeal, the terrorist and two of his captives were killed.
Today, Taliban terrorists in Pakistan killed 141 people, including 132 children, in an attack on an army-run school before Pakistani special forces mounted a rescue mission, ending the siege and clearing the building of explosives.

Surviving a Terrorist Attack or Hostage Situation

Although these attacks happened on the other side of the world from the United States, we know from experience that similar things can happen here on our own soil.
Terrorist attacks and hostage situations can happen at any time, anywhere. The element of surprise and unpredictable nature of these attacks make them one of the hardest situations to prepare for.
However, there are always steps you can take to increase your chances of survival. Here are a few of our tips for surviving a hostage situation or terrorist attack.