Security And Humanitarian Workers: Staying Alive Flashcards
Learning objectives
- Security and safety threats
- Threat information sources
- Personal threat mitigation measures
- Communal threat mitigation measures
- Role of teams in safe and effective delivery of disaster relief
Define the term “Threat”
Any factors (actions, circumstances, or events) which have
the potential or possibility to cause harm, loss, or damage
to the NGO, including its personnel, assets, and operations.
Define the term “Risk”
The combination of the impact and likelihood for harm,
loss, or damage to NGOs from the exposure to threats.
Risks are categorized in levels from Very Low to Very High for their prioritisation.
List the different types of natural threats (3)
- Climate
- Disease
- Topography
List the different types of man-made threats (3)
- Crime
- Violence
- Infrastructure damage
What are the 2 main types of threats?
- Inherent
- Targeted
What are the features of inherent threats?
- Non targeted threats
- Work and travel: ill health; work place accidents; vehicle accidents; air crashes; boat accidents etc
- Natural hazards: Earthquakes, floods, avalanches, wildfires
- Wrong place, Wrong time: Demonstrates and rallies, indiscriminate violences, looting, crossfire, military actions
- Indiscriminate weapons: Mines and unexplored ordnance, shelling and aerial bombardment, chemical and biological weapons
What are the features of targeted threats?
- Crime: Armed robbery or theft, arson, ambush, carjacking, bribery, extortion and fraud
- Acts of violence: Bodily harm, assault, sexual violence
- Acts of terror: Bombs/improvised explosive devices, suicide attacks, shootings/assassinations
- Staff disappearance: Detention, arrest, abduction, kidnapping
- Psychological intimidation: Harassment, death threats
What is the security management framework? VD
Assess -> Plan -> Implement -> Monitor -> Review -> influences
Where do you find out about the security assessment of a country?
- You go on the gov.uk website and search up your country of interest
- For e.g. Democratic Republic of Congo
- Then you click on foreign travel advice
- Then go to safety and security
What is the assessment of risk based on?
- Based on 2 main factors:
- Impact
- Likelihood
What are the subcategories for the table between impact and likelihood? VD
- Impact: Negligable, Minor, Moderate, Severe, Critical
- Likelihood: Very likely, Likely, Moderately Likely, Unlikely, Very unlikely
How does using information sources help us out?
- Assessment of risk: Impact and likelihood
- Risk mitigation measures
- Residual risk and it’s acceptability
- Importance of planning
Why is planning key in terms of security?
- Prior
- Preparation
- Planning
- Prevent
- Pathetically
- Poor
- Performance
- If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
When is mitigation of risk used?
- Prior to departure
- During a deployment
- Post-deployment
How is mitigation of risk used prior to departure?
- Mission
- Tasks
- Planning
- Selection of personnel: Skills, fitness
- Equipment: Personal, Technical
How is mitigation of risk used prior to departure? (PART 2)
- Mission rehearsal
- Individual training: ‘Survival’ skills! Technical/professional role, Team working
- Medical preparation: Vaccinations, Chemoprophylaxis
List some basic survival skills
- Food and water hygiene
- Protection against the elements
- Sanitation
- Personal hygiene
- Sleep drills/discipline
- Stress management
- Defensive driving
What are some skills to consider for organisational team training?
- Ethos
- Doctrine
- Policy
- Standards to be applied
List the security considerations when travelling to a dangerous country
- Personal
- Equipment
- Transport
- Supplies
- Prevention of inter-factional violence within camps
- Crime/sexual violence
List the personal security considerations when travelling to a dangerous country
- Do not display expensive belongings
- Try not to be too loud or easily picked out
- Always keep your belongings in sight or properly secured
- Try to look the least like a military person as possible
- Ask for and follow local advice
What is a key message for maintaining personal security?
Situational Awareness
What are the security procedures you’ll need to carry out when travelling to a dangerous country?
- Booking in and out
- Routes and ETA
- Communications
- Maintenance of vehicles
- No individual movement
What is team working?
A group of willing and trained individuals who are:
- United around a common goal
- Depending on each other to achieve it
- Structured to work together
- Sharing responsibility for their task
- Empowered to implement decisions
Why should we have teams in general?
- Meet psycho-social needs
- Provide appropriate skills mixes
- Provide mutual support to members
- Division of tasks
- Can produce originality
- Most efficient, self-sustaining type of group
What is team building?
- Team communication guidelines
- Team ground rules:
- Respect, Responsibility, Procedures, Discussion, Differences, Non team behaviour
What are the considerations to be taken post deployment?
- Continuing chemo prophylaxis
- Medical ‘screening’
- Dissolve team carefully
- Identify lessons
- Re-fit
