“Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) for journalists” is a ten-part series developed by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Silk Road Training and Exile Hub. This third article outlines how journalists can plan, prepare, and gear up effectively before entering high-risk conflict environments.
Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) is a comprehensive safety training course covering core areas of preparedness for journalists working in high-risk environments. It includes preparedness for civil unrest, conflict zones, hostile environment first aid, vehicle safety, and digital security. Working in active or post-conflict zones comes with serious risks, but thoughtful preparation can make a critical difference.
1 – Make a solid plan before deployment
Before entering a high-risk conflict environment, journalists should assess threats, map essential resources, and set up reliable systems for communication and medical support. A solid plan reduces uncertainty and improves decision-making under pressure.
- Start with a risk assessment. Review the security situation, conflict dynamics, and medical risks at your destination. Gather as much information as possible about the location, including its political, social, health, and security conditions, as well as the climate, media environment, and infrastructure.
- Know where to go in case of an emergency. Identify local hospitals, available treatments, and know how to reach care. Save key numbers and map out safe zones, embassies, and secure facilities prior to your reporting in the zone.
- Set up a PACE communication plan (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency). Journalists should keep trusted contacts informed of their movements using varied communication channels—such as phone, messaging apps, email, or satellite devices—to ensure backup options in case one fails.
- Pack a grab bag. Include essentials like water, energy bars, a torch, compass, map, multitool, protective gear, and a satellite phone if practical.
- Have a trauma kit ready. Equip it with two tourniquets, a haemostatic agent, field dressings, and a chest seal. You can buy these items at well-stocked local pharmacies, outdoor gear shops, or from online suppliers of medical or tactical equipment.
2 – Choose and secure your accommodation
Choosing the right accommodation is part of a safety plan. Journalists should assess risks in and around their lodging and take simple steps to lower their profile and increase preparedness.
- Choose a low-profile hotel in a safer area. Consider who else is staying there. If other guests are high-profile or at risk—such as government officials—the hotel may become a target for surveillance, intimidation, or physical and cyber attacks.
- Pick a room on the second or third floor. This balances ease of escape with protection from ground-level threats. Avoid rooms near the front of the building, or the reception.
- Know the building layout. Check fire escapes, evacuation routes, and whether there is a shelter or defensible area. Identify a secure hiding place inside the room.
- Keep evacuation gear by the bed. Shoes, personal protective equipment (PPE), and a grab bag should be ready and within reach. Practice exiting quickly in case of an emergency.
3 – Know your gear and safety protocols
Journalists must not only carry the right equipment but know when and how to use it effectively to protect themselves.
- Have the appropriate gear, and use it. Wear body armour, helmet, eye and ear protection accordingly. Train to put them on quickly and correctly. Get used to moving, crouching, and taking cover with the added weight.
- Learn the range and risk of the weapons commonly used in the conflict zone. Journalists who can effectively judge when they are in danger will be able to seek cover or reposition themselves appropriately.
- Know what provides real cover. Solid concrete, engine blocks, or double brick walls offer protection. Doors, wood, or single brick walls do not.
This article is based on the content of a three-day HEAT training conducted by Silk Road Training and organised by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in partnership with Exile Hub.
Silk Road Training offers online and in-person HEAT training led by expert trainers with over 20 years of training and security advisory experience globally to help media professionals and frontline journalists build life-saving skills in high-risk areas.
Exile Hub supports human rights defenders and media professionals facing persecution from the Myanmar junta, helping them continue their work safely through tailored assistance, safe housing, counselling, and skills training.
← Read Part 1: Preparing for civil unrest
← Read Part 2: Techniques to stay safe while covering civil unrest
