Critical incident and crisis management

About the training

Every international organization or news agency needs to have a contingency plan for crisis management when deploying staff to hostile environments and unstable situations. NGOs and journalists are exposed to crises such as kidnappings, hostage-taking, outbreaks of violence, acts of terrorism, pandemics and sometimes natural disasters. The preparedness of organizations and individuals is crucial to meeting the duty of care and is the basis of emergency management. A poorly managed crisis exposes the organization to considerable financial, legal and reputational risks, in addition to the tragic physical and psychological risks borne directly by staff.

Many agencies and consultancies offer similar training courses around the world, but what sets us apart? Firstly, our crisis management course confronts staff with practical responsibilities during a realistic simulation; secondly, and most importantly, the training provides field managers with the knowledge and practice to anticipate and effectively manage a serious incident within the critical 72-hour timeframe. Our training courses are targeted at field players, as contingency management preparation takes place in-country; we prepare NGOs and news agencies in the field to make rapid decisions for effective crisis management.

Methodology

SAHCO consultants will first audit the organization's existing crisis management protocols and provide advice and guidance. We design and implement an interactive crisis management simulation to help test and improve the in-country crisis management team's response. This can be delivered as a tabletop exercise on your organization's premises with remote multimedia inputs (by phone or e-mail) to which participants must respond and with the involvement of professional actors. The learning environment is secure and all information is kept confidential. The workshop includes a post-simulation debriefing and review of action points.

What will you learn?

• How to conduct an internal audit on the weaknesses of your organization's emergency and crisis management plans
• Developing your crisis management plans
• Identify basic tools and minimum security standards Designate an effective Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT)
• Identifying stakeholders and legal responsibilities
• Diagnosing a critical incident
• Specific actions during the "golden hours" of the situation
• Define scenarios and work strategy accordingly
• Dealing with the organization's staff
• Dealing with family
• Dealing with the media
• Basic negotiation techniques
• Third-party intermediaries
• Hostage management hypotheses
• Psychological support for active and passive victims
• Post-crisis management and return to normal
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