To journalists, aid workers, corporate workers and adventurers going into volatile areas, good preparation can be the difference between a successful adventure and a risky scenario that gets out of control. Hostile Environment Safety Training (HEST) is now a mandatory course to anyone intending to work in a conflict zone, politically unstable country, or just a remote area where standard safety measures do not apply.

What Is HEST?

Hostile Environment Safety Training, sometimes shortened to HEST, HEAT or HET, provides participants with skills and knowledge that are useful in the field and allow them to work in a high-risk environment safely. These classes run the gamut of threat evaluation and security awareness training, to first aid in austere environments, and emergency response measures.

In contrast to standard training on workplace safety, HEST programmes concentrate on real-life situations, which the participants are prone to face in hostile territories. The training helps bridge the gap between what is in theory and what is in practice, so that when a crisis occurs, the individuals are able to act in response and not paralyze.

Who Needs This Training?

HEST courses have a wide range of participants. A large number of attendees are broadcast journalists and reporters who are travelling to the conflict zones, with organisations such as the BBC, Czech Television, and the European Broadcasting Union regularly dispatching their staff to attend training.

This preparation is also realised by international development workers and NGO employees who are to work in the areas that are impacted by political instability, natural disasters, or humanitarian crises. Multinational companies in high-risk markets are sending corporate travellers to these courses as a part of their duty of care requirements.

Adventurers and gap year students that travel through difficult areas also find it advantageous to know how to evaluate risks and how to respond to emergencies in remote areas.

Content and Structure of the Course.

HEST programmes are usually two or five days long, but custom-made one-day courses may be designed to meet a particular requirement. The training is structured to combine classroom theory and practical exercises, which makes the whole learning process interesting and engaging to the participants.

Topics covered include:

Security awareness – Awareness of the level of threat, awareness of suspicious behaviour and situational awareness in foreign surroundings.

First aid and trauma treatment – When hospitals are a couple of hours away or merely non-existent, medical emergencies in hostile conditions need to be approached differently. The training involves the treatment of severe injuries, hypothermia management, and field trauma.

Kidnap and detention – Although no one would wish to think about such a possibility, knowing how to act in case of a detention or kidnapping can greatly help the situation. Role-play activities are used to teach the participants to rehearse these situations in controlled environments.

Crisis management – All decisions made in a crisis, communication with fellow staff in an emergency, and evacuation.

Safety of vehicles – There are numerous accidents when traveling on the road. Training includes defensive driving, checkpoint operations and ambush or accident response.

Cultural awareness – Realizing local practices, not being unintentional offenders and understanding cultural issues that can influence individual safety.

The Training Experience

The participants always emphasize the practice of HEST courses. Instead of listening to endless presentations, the attendees are involved in realistic scenarios and practical exercises. Trainers who have real experience in the field make the training authentic and do not sensationalise the risks by giving them first-hand experience of what really happened.

The learning process is not too serious and has a pace that is manageable. Small groups (usually about 12 people) enable personal focus and open the possibility of peer learning because the participants can exchange experiences and insights in various disciplines and nations.

The conversations and informal interactions between the participants in the evening also introduce another layer to the learning, especially when it comes to processing emotionally challenging information regarding trauma and worst-case scenarios.

Customized and Adaptable Services.

Flexible delivery methods are currently being provided by training providers to meet the various organisational requirements. Face-to-face courses are the best and the most immersive. Nevertheless, virtual training sessions and online webinars have turned out to be a valid option, especially in organisations where the teams are distributed worldwide.

Tailor-made courses may be based on a particular deployment location, organisational risk, or level of experience of participants. A media organisation dispatching a team to report on elections in a specific country may get training on the specific threats in the region, whereas an NGO operating in many countries may require more extensive coverage.

Beyond the Course

The advantages of HEST training are not only limited to the direct learning. The participants state that they are now more confident about future deployments and they are better prepared to make effective decisions in the face of pressure. The training usually causes organisations to re-examine their travel policies, insurance plans and risk assessment practices.

The course is reportedly eye-opening to many of the attendees, as it identifies risks that they were previously not aware of, and offers practical methods of mitigating them. To experienced travellers, HEST can be a refreshing course of knowledge that renews their understanding and breaks the rut.

Making the Investment

Though HEST courses demand an investment of time and money, organisations are seeing this as mandatory, as opposed to optional. The moral and legal responsibilities of employers to provide sufficient preparation arises through the duty of care employers have towards the staff when travelling to high-risk areas.

To someone who is financing their training, say freelance reporters or an independent adventurer, the price can be quite high. But the experience acquired may be priceless, and even life-saving in certain instances.

Final Thoughts

There will always be certain risks involved in working or travelling in hostile environments which cannot be completely overcome. Nevertheless, appropriate training can greatly minimize the chances of incidents, and enhances the results in case of misfortunes.

Hostile Environment Safety Training equips with hands-on skills, instills confidence and establishes a state of awareness and preparedness. This preparation to those going into difficult regions is not only reasonable, but a necessity.