HEST: Hostile Environment Safety Training

Overview

PLEASE NOTE: New prices for EBU Members (3,750 €) and Non-Members (4,295 €) apply for September and October editions.

Given world events, it is a priority to protect the health and wellbeing of journalists and news crews reporting in unsafe and unpredictable situations. It is a crucial element of preparedness planning.

EBU Academy’s Hostile Environment Safety Training course – or HEST – is consistently highly rated by participants and highly regarded by editors.

As a trainee, you will acquire the tools and knowledge needed to assess danger in war zones, areas of civil unrest and terrorist attacks, as well as natural disasters. You will understand what to do if you or a colleague are injured, learning essential First Aid techniques.

You will divide your time between the classroom and in the field, as your skills and know how are tested in fully immersive simulation exercises using the facilities at Training Base Weeze near Dusseldorf in Germany.

EBU Academy’s HEST course is run in partnership with UK based Objective Travel Ltd., taught by a team of highly experienced instructors who teach public service media journalists and crew throughout the year.

Who it is for 

• Journalist, reporter, correspondent
• News crews working in the field
• Head of foreign news desk

Course Objectives

• Identify your strengths and weaknesses when reporting in hostile environments
• Better assess the risks of working in extreme conditions
• Acquire essential tools to handle stress and stay safe, including learning essential First Aid techniques
• Exchange experiences with your peers from other EBU Member newsrooms

Programme Outline 

• Situation awareness and personal security
• Pre-assignment planning and preparation for high-risk assignments and high-risk locations
• Basic life-support and trauma first aid for hostile and remote locations - includes gunshot wounds, catastrophic bleeding, wilderness first aid
• Weapons, Drones and Mines Awareness
• Working in natural disaster zones
• Kidnap avoidance and abduction survival, dealing with arrest and detention
• Emotional self-care and dealing with traumatic assignments
• Conflict Management, demonstrations and civil unrest and disturbances
• Navigating high-risk environments - vehicle checkpoints, vehicle preparation and dealing with road traffic collisions  
• Practical training to consolidate all our training - realistic scenarios designed to ensure that our training is reinforced and remembered for when you need it

Training team

Supplied by Objective Travel Safety

Our trainers have diverse backgrounds, and all have worked in hostile, dangerous and remote locations around the world with journalists from TV, radio and online services. 

They have robust training and experience, and their backgrounds include:

• Former UK and NATO officers and soldiers
• Many have British Special Forces backgrounds
• Front-line media professionals, including camera operators and journalists
• Specialists in technical and IT security
• Specialists in remote and trauma first aid, some are former Special Forces medics

Location

Training Base Weeze GmbH & Co. KG, Flughafen-Ring 16, 47652 Weeze, Dusseldorf, Germany.

The easiest way to travel to Weeze is by car.  Into Weeze Airport, Ryanair has flights from Italy, Portugal & North Africa. You can fly into Dusseldorf Airport, the onward journey to Weeze is approximately 1 hour.

On day one, please arrive by 13:30 and check in to hotel accommodation, the Best Deal Airport Hotel (booked by EBU as part of registration). Course commences at 14:00. Further information will be confirmed nearer the time.

Certification

After completing the modules, you will be awarded an EBU Academy Certificate