Armadillo at Large

Armadillo At Large Personal Safety & Security Course with Communications or First Aid Extensions
19th - 23rd October 2009, Farnham

This training consists of three days of Personal Safety & Security in the Field followed by either two days of Communications Training, or two days of Field First Aid Training. It is non-residential, with accommodation available if required.

Course narrative
Aid work has never been more dangerous. Almost every day we hear of yet more serious incidents that threaten the safety of both aid workers and the programmes that they deliver. Since 1999 Armadillo has been dedicated to helping prepare people to work in the most hostile and challenging environments. Armadillo trainers work along side our clients in the difficult places using their skills and experience to deliver high quality training that has been proven to equip participants to respond more effectively.

This course is designed to give participants the skills and knowledge to:

• Assess risk by developing a better understanding of the context and the threats that it may pose
• Make better preparations to reduce vulnerability and therefore reduce the potential for a serious security incident
• Make better choices if they are involved in a security incident
• Make the best possible use of communications assets
• Help save the life of yourself or others through First Aid

The First Aid and Communications extensions provide a choice of modules for participants to go on and further develop critical field skills. We have the advantage of using the Codan base with access to much of their equipment. There will be a combination of classroom and practical learning in each module, with day three of the personal safety and security course being predominantly ‘in the field’.

Course Contents – Outline
The Security Management Framework: based on Van Brabant’s work and recognised as best practice in the Humanitarian world. This session will explain what it is and why you should care about it. By the end of this part of the course you will know how to use the security management framework to reduce the chances of you being involved in a security incident

Risk, Threat and Vulnerability
What are the threats that exist in our context, and what makes the team and individual vulnerable to them? This session will help you to understand risk management and how personal behaviour and attitudes can have a direct impact on your security

Situational Awareness
Did you spot the gorilla? Professor Daniel Simons, a lecturer at the University of Illinois has carried out research in to “inattentive blindness” or how, when we are focussed on an important task, it is easy to miss those subtle or (as in the case of his experiment with the gorilla in the hotel lobby,) not so subtle changes in the threat environment that can signify an impending change — good or bad

Standard Operating Procedures and Contingency Planning
Personal preparedness. How can we consistently behave in a way that will reduce vulnerability? What should we do before we set off to the field, what should we carry and what should we do if the situation changes and things go wrong?

Incident reporting
What is an incident, why should we report it, what sort of incident reports are there and when should they be used? With a brief mention of incident analysis, just to explain what happens to an incident report and why it is important to make them

Explosive Remnants of War training: Landmine and UXO awareness.
“Everything that is shot or thrown at you, or dropped on you in War is unpleasant. But of all the horrible devices, the most terrifying of all is the landmine.” It is 65 years since that was said and since then things have got worse. This session will help you understand how to avoid landmines and unexploded ordnance.

Hostage Survival Strategies
Kidnap and abduction are on the increase and aid workers are especially vulnerable to this. What should you do to reduce the chances of you being involved in this kind of situation? What can you do to increase your chances of surviving it if it happens to you?

Guns and Bombs and things that go Bang
And what to do if you come within range. How thick is the wall you need to hide behind? What should you do if you come under mortar or artillery fire? This session will give you the answers

Personal Preparation
Know what being mentally and physically prepared looks like. Understand the implications of poor personal preparation. Be able to put together an effective personal quick run bag. Be able to manage personal health and hygiene in the field

Safety Management
Understand safety risks such as fire, carbon monoxide poisoning and natural hazards. Be able to minimise vulnerability to safety risks. Be able to reduce safety hazards and survive an incident if it does happen

Travel Risks
Know what the risks in travel are, be able to prepare to travel safely.
Practice managing hostile checkpoint situations

Practical Simulations
The final day will be spent putting into practice some of the life saving skills that you have learnt in the rest of the course. This simulation designed by Armadillo’s highly experienced security managers will give you the ideal opportunity to use your learning to manage risk in a safe environment.

You will encounter landmines and use your skills to avoid them. You will negotiate your way through hostile checkpoints and practice managing the aggression. This will be the day from hell, but going through it will give you the chance to practice your skills and enhance your ability to deal with the real thing.

Communications
The primary function of the comms net is security. Yet more and more as people rely on the mobile phone and it’s big sister the satphone, the ability to use the one and only reliable source of communication in an emergency – HF and VHF radios – is decreasing. Over two days John Jacobs will share with you 16 years of experience and give you confidence to use radio communications in the field. Vital learning for all field staff.

• Fundamentals of electricity and radio
• Strengths and weaknesses of the different types of communications systems
• Practice using VHF
• HF radio and ionospheric propagation
• Practise using Codan NGT HF radio
• ALE, Easitalk and NVIS
• Radio protocols
• Operation of ancillary devices – modem, crosspatch, GPS
• Quickstart programming
• Preventive maintenance
• Radio room security
• MOSS requirements

First Aid
Humanitarians often work with or close to medical teams, but they also often work remotely, where there are no medical facilities or medics close by. The first hour after an injury is critical in maximising the chances of a good or at least best possible recovery, what happens, or does not happen then will help dictate the outcome

• Incident /scene Management
• Prioritising treatment
• Primary casualty assessment
• Basic life support
• Haemorrhage control
• Immobilisation of internal/external fractures
• Soft tissue injuries
• Trauma support – Gunshot wounds/blast injuries
• Immediate burns treatment
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Recognition and treatment of shock
• Causality evacuation from remote operating environments

Costs

Personal Safety & Security with Communications or First Aid Extension £570

5 days training for only £114 per day in the UK near London, with Armadillo

This fee is non residential, assistance with booking accommodation can be given

To book, contact Steve McCann at Armadillo.
Ten places only are available due to size of training room at Codan.
Book all ten places for a 20% cost reduction