6 Reasons to Attend a Hostile Environment Awareness Training (H.E.A.T.) Course

A survivor is defined as “a person who copes well with difficulties in their life”. Anyone reading this post can relate to that definition even if the types of difficulties we have personally faced are not the same as each other’s.

Alison had stepped outside of a Cape Town night club to clear her head after a night of drinking and dancing. She was alone but only needed a few moments of fresh air before going back inside. A man approached her and suddenly started touching her inappropriately. Alison could have panicked, frozen in place and become a victim. Instead, remembering her training, she did what is known as the “Trident” – and it saved her life. The best part of the Trident is that it is a simple self-defence technique anyone can master. We have taught the Trident to male and female delegates with great success.

Scott O’Grady was flying a peacekeeping mission over Bosnia in June 1995. His F16 jet was hit by a missile and he ejected. On landing, he grabbed his bail-out bag and survived for a week behind enemy lines. The contents of that bail-out bag saved him until he was rescued by US Marines. An explanation of these contents and other survival items are shared and practiced on our hostile environment awareness training H.E.A.T. courses.

The two examples above are from different scenarios but both reflect difficulties handled well under pressure.

Could you survive such difficulties without the necessary H.E.A.T. course? Do you believe that you would rise to the occasion and overcome such difficulties; or do you realise that you would more likely succeed if you had attended a H.E.A.T. course?

Every employer has a Duty of Care (DoC) responsibility to its staff and contractors working on the company premises. However, this responsibility extends beyond the physical workplace when staff travel abroad on company business. Then, your staff represent the company brand. If their travel experience exposes them to the risk of loss of life, liberty or limb, then they can sue their employer for negligence.

So, every employer must ensure that their corporate travellers have the necessary skillset and knowledge to avoid preventable death, detention or bodily damage.

Zero Foundation Africa teaches this skillset during our two-day H.E.A.T. courses. We run H.E.A.T. courses throughout South Africa to equip employees with the confidence to operate in any hostile environment. For more details of these courses CLICK HERE for more information.

What are the 6 benefits for your staff by attending a two-day H.E.A.T. course?

  1. Understand the details of your company’s corporate travel security policy and procedures. If you do not have one, consult with us – Check out our HEAT Course for more information.
  2. Know what pre-planning needs to be carried out before leaving their home country. Has the Corporate Security department provided destination intelligence about the foreign country; updated their bio file; and briefed them regarding meet and greet protocols at the airport, the evacuation process along corridors of safety and emergency communications?
  3. Choose necessary items for Everyday Carry (EDC) whether operating in a permissive or non-permissive environment. By knowing what kit to carry and how to use it, they will be more self-reliant and capable of operating with confidence in a hostile environment. This provides the company with sufficient time to arrange for a controlled and safe evacuation.
  4. Ensure they know the meet and greet protocol at the airport, the route to their hotel and local resources for emergency medical situations. If the employer does not have such procedures and guidelines in place, View our HEAT Courses for more information.
  5. Make an informed decision about where to spend their leisure time without exposing themselves or the company to physical, financial or reputational risk.
  6. Prepare a Debriefing for management on their return. The nature of this Debriefing is to provide management with lessons learned, marketing intelligence about the competition and identified risks to other employees travelling on business. To understand the Debriefing process, read more on our HEAT courses for more information.

Now, you can minimise your reputation and financial risk by scheduling a two-day course.

Our H.E.A.T. courses provide your employees with the understanding and knowledge necessary to ensure that you comply with your DoC obligations.

Our H.E.A.T. courses equip your staff with the knowledge to maintain online security, survive any crisis, practice emergency medicine and survive in a hostile environment.

Zero Foundation Africa (Pty) Ltd

+27 21 712 3024
+27 82 922 0512

info@zerofoundationafrica.com 
www.zerofoundationafrica.com