CIFAL Málaga introduces the ‘HEAT course: Hostile Environment Awareness Training’
If you are a journalist, a member of an NGO working in conflict zones or for any other reason, and you regularly travel to countries or areas of conflict, this new course offered by CIFAL Málaga together with the global risk consultancy ACK3, can be of great benefit. The 'HEAT course: Hostile Environment Awareness Training' is designed for all those professionals who, for different reasons, travel frequently to conflict areas, in order for them to learn the basic notions of security as well as how to deal with adverse situations that may occur, so that they may have a safe and secure return.
Conflict areas such as Syria, Iraq, certain areas of Mexico or some countries in Africa, among many other areas of the planet, involve many risks for the people who have to travel there. Whether you are a journalist, an NGO worker or even a tourist, there are always risks in these regions, such as kidnapping, violent conflict, crossfire, and so on.
The aim of this course is to make the participants conscious of all the dangerous situations that can occur and also to teach them how to face complex and violent situations so that they can get out of them safely. In short, a course for them to become aware of complicated situations and to acquire basic and essential safety skills.
HEAT is a course focused on the practical part. Its duration will be 50 hours: 30% of the program is the theoretical part, which is given at the beginning of the course and the remaining 70% is a totally practical view. It is important to know how to act in hostile situations beyond the theoretical part, and in order for students to acquire the most realistic and effective training possible, most of the program is carried out in the training field. That is, it involves practical activities.
As you can see in the program, you will be taught how to face difficult situations such as captivity, how to extinguish fires, how to get out of crossfire, how to act within a violent demonstration, violent attacks... Unfortunately, these are common situations in many areas of the world and, therefore, it is desirable to have basic safety skills. In addition, the course also helps you to analyse all the possible dangers or risky situations before they occur. That is to say, to carry out a thorough risk analysis, an issue that is fundamental within an NGO organization or a travel agency which works with dangerous areas.
There will be a theoretical part of the course on the first day at the Rectorate building of the UMA (as well as a First Aid class) and the rest of the course will be held at the training camp, including very realistic scenarios of missions and/or rescues and night practices. The price of the course is 920 euros, including lunches and transportation from the Rectorate building to the training camps. 50% of the course fee is to be paid upon registration and the rest before March 16.