Previous terrorist attacks, for example in Madrid and London, have increased concern over the threat that Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) poses to public safety. Insurgent groups in Iraq and Afghanistan have developed relatively sophisticated tactics, including the use of synchronised attacks with multiple devices that have not yet been witnessed in Europe or North America. Some of these approaches specifically target the fire and rescue services that are deployed in response to an initial

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... etonation or warning. Computer simulations provide tools that can be used to plan for potential attacks. They can be used to work through a range of scenarios so that emergency personnel minimise their vulnerability and mitigate the threat that these attacks pose to the general public. However, it can be difficult to simulate the range of human behaviours that are seen in the aftermath of terrorist attacks. Similarly, it is unclear how to develop appropriate blast and fragmentation models that capture a range of future Improvised Explosive Devices. The following pages present a brief overview of a range of mathematical models that are being integrated into simulation tools that are intended to help emergency services and counter terrorism agencies plan for future attacks in public places.