For the purposes of this e-book, a crisis is a civil unrest situation that puts a member of your organization in physical danger. This e-book includes sections on robbery prevention, hijacks, hostage- taking/kidnappings, and rape, as risk increases in times of civil unrest.
This definition specifically excludes personal financial, medical, or emotional crises, which people should discuss with your team leader. Later editions might include other kinds of crisis.
How to write your organization's emergency policy
Your emergency policy should tell you:
how to communicate and use information.
who is responsible for key tasks.
plans that are described in concrete enough detail to help you develop your own policies for the context of your organization and country .
As far as possible, take a step-by-step approach. For some steps, give fairly complete lists of things to do. This is because your must assume that people will feel under pressure in a crisis and likely to forget things.
At the beginning, tell people to read it right through when they first get it.
Most of this book started out as a Crisis Management Handbook for an overseas organization, and the tone of "You" has been retained.
The organization in this website
It is an international body that seconds staff members to local organizations from offices in home countries. Each team is headed by a team leader, who is responsible to a Country Director.
The organization in several nearby counties in the same part of the world is headed by a Regional Director, and the whole organization is headed by an international office.
This structure is nearly as complex as can be, so would cover most situations. In general, adapt it for your situation; you might need only to simplify the current structural arrangements.
About crisis management
When a major crisis arises, a special Crisis Management Team (CMT) needs to be appointed. In this scenario, the Regional Director with the Country Director do so in consultation with the International Office.
A CMT is a purely temporary task force comprising of three or four people who know the situation well. They should be the only part of the organization working on the crisis thus freeing the FL to cope with his other responsibilities.
Objectives
The objectives of a CMT are to:
Isolate the crisis from the rest of the organization.
Reduce the number of personnel dealing with the crisis.
Provide structure and discipline for the crisis resolution efforts.
Allow the rest of the organization to carry out their normal duties.
Responsibilities
The CMT will be responsible for:
The daily management of the situation.
Communication with the company, any media, the families of staff involved.
Supervision of all negotiations.
Record all events, decisions and actions taken.
Hostage or kidnapping
In case of hostage or kidnapping situations the duties of the CMT are to:
Ensure the safety of the victim's family. The victim's family is an easy target in hostage, kidnapping or threat situations; send them home as soon as possible.
Handle the media according to the predetermined policy.
Channel information updates to the company and SB to pass relevant information on to the next of kin.
Direct negotiations, usually by liaising with the team of trained negotiators.
Receive and evaluate incoming information.
Advise the company about any decisions to be taken.
Deal with sponsors, national authorities, and Embassies.
Keep an accurate record of its actions and decisions.
Several of the most important principles
Several of the most important principles of crisis management are:
Avert the crisis in its early stages before it becomes serious. (Once the crisis becomes serious, there is no turning back and solutions become more difficult to find.)
Keep the number of people involved as small as possible.
Do not make decisions too fast.
Ensure that incoming information gets to the people who need it.
Keep control of outgoing information.
Realize the amount of influence of the media.
Make sure that the right people carry out any necessary negotiations; do not use untrained or inappropriate personnel.
Distinctive steps in a crisis
The distinctive steps in a crisis are:
recognizing and acknowledging that there is a crisis,
containing the crisis (keeping outside sympathetic forces from interfering).
isolating the crisis for interference from within the organization.
assessing the crisis (who? what? where? why? when? how?)
planning a response (where will we respond, who will participate, what communications are necessary, what will be our media style, how will we fund our response?)
implementing the plan.
evaluating the progress.
close the crisis: treat post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), evaluate the handling of the crisis.
Personal safety
Your security and that of your possessions and materials is, in most cases, your own responsibility.
Are you a soft or hard target?
Soft targets leave their cars unlocked when they are out, go for walks very late at night in secluded areas, or are careless with banking procedures.
Hard targets are cars and homes that are repeatedly locked or people who take sensible precautions when they travel or visit the bank.
Criminals and terrorists often use a series of steps:
Surveillance: they check out the place or person.
Visitation: physically approach or test the intended victim.
Confrontation: attempt to steal or attack.
Assault: follow through with the plan.
Being alert to the first three steps might help you avert step four.
You need to be able to detect surveillance. Be alert and aware of surroundings; develop a sense of what is normal and what is not in your neighborhood so you can be aware of unusual situations or circumstances. Be suspicious of unusual people or activities in your area. (E.g. Why are these people following me? Why is the telephone company van green and not blue?)
Banks are often a major target for surveillance. Criminals will follow you on a motorcycle from the bank and strike when you stop your vehicle to enter a house. For smaller amounts, a hidden money belt should be sufficient security. If withdrawing large amounts of cash from a bank, use a car and have someone come with you. Check your tires when you leave the bank; some thieves presently sabotage tires by tucking wire into the treads, follow the car as it leaves the bank, and strike when the driver stops with a flat tire.
Remember that being followed by another car or motorcycle is a form of surveillance. If you think you might be under surveillance, keep a log of those who are watching you, including descriptions of car/ motorcycle type and number and people involved in the surveillance. If followed while driving your car, try to shake the car/motorcycle off. Drive slower or faster, go with the amber light, and do a safe U-turn in the middle of the block and then drive to the Police Station or the home of a friend. Avoid driving to your house as the person may be wanting to find out where you live.
If you suspect that you might be under surveillance, do not go to a location which you want to keep confidential. This includes your bank, places to which you regularly carry money to pay bills, and the addresses of some ministry contacts.
Contact your team leader at the first sign or suspicion that your house is under surveillance. You might need someone to help you confirm whether a suspicious activity is actually surveillance.
Yourself
Make friends with local people. Learn the language well, find out who your neighbors are and establish good relationships with them. In the past local friendships have saved the lives of workers (some have run very costly risks!) and protected properties. Listen to their advice.
Keep a low profile in the community.
Vary the route and times you go to the bank, office, church, or shopping.
Be most alert when shopping on Sundays in the main shopping plazas, the months before Christmas and other major national holidays.
When walking along the street, be alert and look confident. Try to keep space from other people so that nobody can "accidentally" bump into you and so that you can identify who is deliberately moving towards you. You can use shop windows to see who might be following you.
ATMs are vulnerable locations. Check the surroundings before you go in, and check again when you come out. If you can, have a friend waiting outside for you.
When shopping or traveling, keep the money you use in a different place on your body from the main bulk of your money, which should preferably be in a money belt under your clothes. Do not use wallets in trouser/pants pockets; they are too easy to pick.
Briefcases are easier to steal than bags with a strap that goes over your head. Do not carry irreplaceable papers in a briefcase on the main streets of any city.
Leave your passport at home and carry only photocopies. Photocopies are acceptable for almost all routine business.
Install a peep-hole in your door and don't open it too quickly.
Driving
Even when you are in the car, always lock all the doors and the trunk/boot. (In some larger cities you can be attacked when you stop at traffic lights or traffic jams.) Do not leave valuables on the passenger seats.
You are very vulnerable when getting into or out of a car. When walking to your car have your keys in your hand ready and check that nobody is hiding in the back seat before you get in. Watch your belongings as you get out of the car.
Lock packages in the trunk/boot.
Remember to lock the car securely when you leave it.
When driving, keep a distance between you and the car in front. If the car in front stops quickly, you can perhaps swerve away. Otherwise, the car is front would force you to stop and could then victimize you in some way.
Always try to keep the car half full of fuel.
Remember: 80% of kidnappings take place to, from, or in a car.
Your home
Be aware of the security rating of your house. Unless you live in a village neighborhood, it is probably lower than you think. Larger cities are more dangerous than smaller cities.
Put secure locks on all doors and all windows.
Make strategic use of exterior lights at night.
Try to avoid leaving your house empty; if your helper cannot stay, get friends to look after the house.
Put a lock on your electric meter if it is outside.
If you must go out and leave the house empty, always lock the house, leave some lights on, and leave your TV or radio on. Ask neighbors to turn the lights off and open the curtains in the morning, and turn lights on and close the curtains at night. If you know how to use timing devices, you can turn lights and radios on and off automatically.
Do not let door-to-door salesmen into your home or yard.
In many places you need to put a steel grille inside your windows and an extra security door.
Keep your front gate locked at all times, even if you are sitting on your verandah.
General travel safety
Keep your travel plans known to as few people as possible
Always inform someone where you are going and when you expect to return. Telephone if seriously delayed.
Avoid carrying unnecessary credit cards and any information that could cause trouble to other workers.
If staying overnight in a hotel, do not open your room to strangers.
Avoid big football matches and musical performances (especially rock concerts) because the crowds can become violent.
If you come across a demonstration or political rally, turn and go another way or go back the way you came. You might need to telephone your family, explain the delay, and tell them you are safe.
Learn your way around.
Learn the layouts of airports, bus stations, your major travel routes, etc.
Do not rely too heavily on street maps published in-country, as they could be very unreliable.
Learn landmarks that you will notice next time.
Put tape on your luggage so you can identify it easily on a baggage carousel. Keep count of your total pieces of luggage so you can quickly check what is missing.
Avoid relying on other passengers for information or to look after your possessions.
Public transport
Use scheduled vehicles which are identified by stickers. Do not use pirate/gypsy taxis (private cars not registered as taxis).
Use airport taxis or the next taxi in line. Do not let the taxi drivers choose you to become their passenger. Do not let porters choose your taxi.
Except for airport taxis where you buy a ticket at a counter, check that they will use the meter, before the taxi starts to move.
Check taxis for door locks, identification, etc.
Do not allow the driver to take extra passengers.
Lock taxi doors and shut windows while traveling.
Air travel
Choose the safest airlines and take direct flights if you can.
Use plain luggage of unpretentious quality (preferably old-looking), free of Frequent Flyer tags and stickers. Names and address should not be prominent, and free of titles and positions such as "Dr." and "International Director", etc.
Blend in with the crowd.
Do not under dress or overdress. Your clothes should be casual and should not attract attention. Women should dress modestly, avoiding clothes which would be offensive in non-western cultures.
Do not wear pretentious jewelry, special badges, or distinctly western clothing.
When departing, arrive early and go through to the security area as soon as you have checked in your baggage.
Check your seating in the aircraft; surround yourself with seats and passengers.
Be very discreet in your conversation and avoid talking loudly.
Avoid sitting near ticket counters, rest-rooms, restaurants, gates, and shrubs. If an incident occurs in an airport terminal, stay with the crowd and keep away from windows.
On arrival at your destination, wait in a secure area until your luggage has arrived, and don't be met by someone with a sign with your name; make other arrangements beforehand.
Try to avoid using the services of porters. You could pack bags so that you can carry them. In airports, a husband can leave an older child in a safe area sitting on a pile of suitcases so that he can carry suitcases to another location and leave them in the care of his wife.
If you have to leave the country for a short period for visa business, take your important papers, address book and extra money. You never know how long you might be away because borders could be closed.
If a staff member is hijacked ...
A hostage situation differs from a kidnapping in that the location of the hostage is known, whereas the location of a kidnapped person is kept secret. The response is different as in a hostage situation you might feel that you cannot take a long time to respond. However, a calm attitude is essential; it is easy to respond too quickly.
If a team member is taken hostage, do not panic. Provide your Team Leader with a brief explanation of the situation and with some brief, concrete information, preferably confirmed or eye-witnessed.
The Team Leader's first decision is: How much reaction time do we have? If you have sufficient time to get professional negotiators on site, your next question is whether you should.
If you have decided that professional negotiators are necessary and the Embassy did not offer them, ask your organization for them. (They should be available.)
Note: If you have no training in crisis negotiation, it is not recommended that you attempt to carry out negotiations yourself. However, you might be in a position in which you have no choice until experts arrive. Ask the Country Director for advice.
The Team Leader will then contact the following people in the order given:
Country Director and Regional Director.
The hostage's Embassy. Get their advice and take it seriously. The Embassy staff might offer trained negotiators, especially if there are political aspects involving the hostage's country. If you need them and they offer, we recommend that you accept them.
Home country offices of staff. Ask them to contact next of kin
The police or military, if the Country Director thinks it advisable. You might choose to wait if you need to ask advice about negotiators.
Police and military will likely have information on the hostage-taker or his/her organization.
They will not necessarily be competent.
They will put political considerations over the life of the hostage.
They will want to take complete charge.
They might be dishonest and ask you for money.
They might withhold information which you could reasonably expect.
Individual government, police, and military departments might argue with each other and with the Embassy over jurisdiction.
If you are a hostage ...
The usual policy of no ransom is sound. Negotiation is the key to hostage survival. Alternate resolutions that do not involve payment of ransom should be sought during negotiation.
A frequent threat made by captors is that of kidnapping and torturing other family members. If other family members are not in the country, the threat is worthless. The CMT might waive this policy if they determine that it is not in the best interest of the hostage, for example, in the case of children hostages.
The CMT shall determine what privileged information the hostage had. They shall assume that the information will become known by the captors, and if necessary, shall take steps to control or prevent further damage through the possible disclosure of privileged information.
How to Survive
Taking hostages means the perpetrators mean to keep them alive. The longer the hostage survives the better the chance of long-range survival. The average period for taking a hostage is 42 days, but for hijack victims it is much shorter.
A. The Capture Phase is the most violent phase of a captivity. Kidnappers are under a great deal of stress and will demand complete compliance. The assailant will be violent during this phase because he is interested in impressing his victims and gaining absolute control over them. He may seek that control through indiscriminate violence. If you are taken hostage:
Comply with the kidnappers demands; a compliant hostage is relatively safe. If the kidnappers had wanted to kill you, they would not have kidnapped you. Physical resistance or flight may result in serious injury or death for you. Do as you are told and don't do anything else.
If in a crowd, do nothing to draw attention to yourself.
Remain calm, and move calmly and deliberately.
Be passive and civil, and avoid confrontation. (A relaxed Christian spirit can have a wonderful effect on the captors.) When spoken to, speak with courtesy and respect.
Use heroics only if your life is threatened.
B. The Detention Phase will begin when the captors perceive that they are in complete control. A change in the location, in personnel, and in the captor's demeanor may occur. The detention may last for a few hours or a few months. Your captors will generally try to discourage you.
Expect to receive interrogation, misinformation, false accusations, and threats against your and/or your family. If you are interrogated, give vague answers if possible, but remember that the CMT is carrying out contingency plans that will eliminate detrimental effects of the disclosure of privileged information.
If there are other hostages, try to communicate with them.
Maintain a disciplined pattern of mental, physical, and spiritual behavior: regular exercise, personal hygiene, prayer, reading, mental activities, working, positive thinking.
If you have reasonable requests, communicate them to your captors. It is reasonable to ask for water, food, hygienic needs, soap, information about other hostages, Bible, reading material, blankets, etc.
Don't refuse services or favors.
Don't betray other hostages or lose your integrity or moral values.
Talk freely to your captors about neutral matters but avoid controversial topics. Stick to topics that present both hostage and captor as individuals; these topics include your family, their families, health, sports, etc. The better bond you have with them, the greater the chance of survival. (This is called the "Stockholm Syndrome"; it usually saves a life and can last from 6-24 weeks.)
C. The Rescue or Release Phase is the most dangerous phase of the captivity. More hostage deaths occur during rescue than at any other time of the captivity.
If negotiation has been successful, obey the captors; they still control the situation.
If there is a recue attempt, get down and stay down. Do not move. Rescuers usually follow the principle of "if it moves, shoot it." People have been shot because they put their heads up to see what was happening.
Hostages should expect to be treated initially as terrorists. Security personnel do not yet know who are guilty and who are innocent. Rescuers will handcuff everyone and sort out the hostages from the terrorists during interrogation.
Rape
Rape is primarily a crime of control or violence, not primarily of sex. Often the assailant arranges the meeting. Half take place in the home with known assailants.
There are four kinds of rapists:
Aggressive aim rapist - angry with women, may be his wife.
Sexual aim rapist - shows how masculine he is, suffers low self-esteem.
Sexual aggressive diffused rapist - sadist, likely to kill, could be a serial killer, the more violent the struggle the better he likes it.
Mob rapists - as part of mob violence against a certain ethnic group or nationality.
How to reduce the risk
Be aware of your surroundings: Notice the way people make suggestions to you, loud neighbors, strange feelings about a place.
Avoidance: Don't walk alone at night, get home early, don't entertain boyfriends at home, make your reactions known, never hitch-hike. If going to your car, have keys in your hand, check the back seat, keep all the doors locked as you drive.
Should you resist? It is difficult to advise. You will have to make the decision yourself at the time. If you let it happen, that is your decision. However, if you sense your life is in danger and you decide to resist, you will have to be willing to go all the way: gouge, scratch, bite, kick, disable (Note rapist No 3 above is likely to kill).
If a friend is raped
Give them help and support them
Get expert help.
Encourage them to make the right decision. Don't take control away from them.
Never question the victim's actions. Reassure her that she did the right thing.
Explain to the husband or father the victim's need for testing, etc. Explain what to expect - emotional reaction and resistance of sexual contact.
Family members will probably need counseling too.
Rape trauma syndrome
Rape trauma syndrome is a very normal reaction to a very abnormal situation. (See also Post-Trauma Stress Disorder)
The stages are:
Denial
Uncontrollable fear
Hiding emotions
Superficial Coping
Acceptance
New normality - integration back to life
The victim needs professional help.
Emotions often include anger, guilt, fear, helplessness, frustration, unclean, worthlessness. For Christians, emotions often include a sense of being displeasing to God, or that their faith was or is inadequate. They have an unfortunate tendency not to seek professional help.
Remember: Rape is primarily a crime of control and violence.
Media policy
Team leaders and field members may not give any information to the media without the Country Director's approval.
The Country Director should ensure that a suitable person is selected to make press statements in the language of the worker's home country.
The sponsor should normally make any press statements if he/she is officially responsible in the country for the person in the crisis. If the Country Director is sponsored by a different local organization, it would not be appropriate for him to give a press release. However, the Country Director should work with the sponsor to handle any press inquiries according to the policies below:
The person chosen to be spokesperson should be a key person in the sponsor's organization who can work with the Country Director. He/she should be calm in manner and pleasant in personality.
Be open, cordial, and factual. Don't conceal bad news but stick to the facts. Don't speculate.
Don't use the words "no comment". You can say something like, "I'm sorry, but we don't have enough information to answer that question".
Don't release damage estimates without approval.
If people have been killed or injured, don't release names until next of kin have been informed.
Don't accuse or attempt to place blame.
Respond promptly to legitimate special requests from the media, such as interviews with a knowledgeable person.
Remember the secular media can be cynical. Be careful what you say. Be real and honest.
If the situation involves criminal matters, sensitive political issues or legal implications:
get advice from senior leadership,
take advice from government foreign office and personnel involved, and/or,
consult competent legal authority.
After the crisis:
evaluate the procedures followed,
specifically thank media people and others who have been particularly helpful.
Crisis recovery
Straight after the crisis
If you are the supervisor, you need to make some decisions fairly early after the crisis, and you should have procedures in place for them. Make sure you check everyone is okay, even people who were not involved but were affected:
yourself
your team members
rescuees
those who escaped safely, even if they didn't need to be rescued
family members
Consider the effects of post traumatic stress; it is likely that many will function very well during the crisis, but then "fall in a heap" after all danger has passed.
Identify their needs and make sure they are addressed (e.g. injury, RTS, etc.) In serious crises, monitor persons for stress at the time and give them enough time to clear their heads.
Protect their personal privacy. Your organization will probably have policies forbidding you to give any public statements on the crisis.
Care for the whole family. Reunite the family and support all members. Remember that children suffer too and need a caring friend to help them to play again and understand the world. Help the victims as they try to re-establish relations with family and friends.
Consider the mid to longer term:
Allow time for proper "cultural decompression".
Prepare them for the future and with needed arrangements and decisions.
About Post Trauma Stress Disorder (PTSD)
In the relief surrounding the conclusion of the major crisis, it is easy to forget the emotional and psychological needs of the victims and the key player in the solving of the situation.
Untreated stress from traumatic events can cause long-term harm to the individuals concerned. Symptoms include:
Emotional numbing - feeling the trauma was re-occurring.
Anxiety, fear, phobias - nightmares after the event
Severe mood swings and impulsive behavior
Problems with concentration and making decisions.
Light-headedness, headaches, stomach and sleeping disorders, hypertension, chest pain, fatigue
Changes in sexual energy
Urgent desire to get back to work or total withdrawal.
Neglect of grooming and general health care
Spiritual questioning
Ignoring normal administration or organizational rules
In World War II soldiers returning from the battle usually traveled back by ship. In this environment of relaxation and time to unwind within the company of understanding companions, the soldiers returned home able to adjust much more satisfactorily than those from Vietnam, who arrived home by air straight from the battle zone. Richard Farley states "more emotional problems were noted from the Vietnam experience than in all other wars." Our workers face the same kind of contrast today.
Debriefing individuals orally
Give immediate reassurance and an initial oral debriefing. The initial debriefing should be done within 48 hours of the event. If the person is traumatized a formal written report may be insensitive at this time.
Debrief the stress. Most people will need to rest and "wind down" from a suddenly stressful situation, or talk it out with somebody.
Be a good listener, supportive and non-judgmental. Tolerate their feelings and behaviors within the boundaries of good judgment. The two main tasks at this stage are:
to get them to express how they feel so you can identify how able they are to function normally.
get them to tell the whole story of exactly what happened as accurately and objectively as possible. Be careful not to bully them if they can’t talk about it. (See counseling below.) This may lead naturally to writing an incident report.
You might also consider whether a thorough physical examination is appropriate.
Incident report
When people are ready, each staff person involved in a serious incident should write an incident report. This flows on quite naturally form the oral debrief. If the person is traumatized, you may relate this to the counselling role.
The main task at this stage is to get the whole story of exactly what happened written down as accurately and objectively as possible. Use a set of points in a timeline. It should answer questions of who, what, where, how, and why. Give people an opportunity to participate in reviewing and evaluating your organization’s response.
Your organization should have a reporting procedure (usually an interview and/or a form). Your organization may also require you to inform your up-line supervisor as soon possible and you might also have to follow a reporting procedure if you are responsible to an outside body for that client.) Almost all organizations will want an accurate detailed written report, written while the details are still very fresh in your mind. These will be important for:
future risk analysis
insurance reporting
government reporting (for serious OHS accidents)
If it is a major incident with serious implications, your organization might decide to treat it as Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) incident, and instigate an investigation.
In an investigation, one person or a committee is given the task of finding out exactly what happened and why, and recommending changes in policy, procedures and training.
Counselling
Be on watch for signs and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (or Rape Trauma Syndrome in cases of rape), and provide first-level counseling if necessary. It will normally be an WHS requirement for employees, and will normally be part of your duty of care for all persons on your premises. Keep what you hear in counseling sessions strictly confidential.
Beware that the stress might make them introverted and reluctant to ask for help. It will be your job to offer to listen.
Traumatized people can react in different ways, so you should adjust your approach to their reactions:
Paralyzed, unable to do anything. Be there for them and elicit only information that you need for legal purposes. Be ready to listen when they are ready to talk more, then debrief them orally as a matter of procedure. It may lead to follow-up counselling.
Denial. "I’m all right." Debrief them orally as a matter of procedure. It will normally help them and you can offer follow-up counselling.
"I want to work." This is not the same as denial, but might include some denial. Some people want time to reflect on what has happened before they are ready to talk about it. Debrief them orally as a matter of procedure.
"I want to talk about it." Listen carefully to them tell their story. Don’t interrupt or judge. You can probe with questions as long as they don’ feel interrogated. When the feelings have settled down, you might then do a more structured oral debriefing and focus on the facts.
Do not allow serious sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder to return to normal work for approximately six months.
In the longer term afterwards, you should monitor them for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (or Rape Trauma Syndrome in cases of rape). Do not allow serious sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder to return to normal work for approximately six months. Be prepared for it to be longer.
Each structured oral debrief above leads naturally to a formal written incident report, but is it advisable to ask the person to agree to the extra step. Don’t get in over your head in counselling. If it becomes more that you can cope with, you should refer the person to a professional counsellor.
N.B. Some traumatized people become dysfunctional with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS). These are much more serious and can cause long-term harm. Refer them to a professional counsellor or clinical psychologist as soon as it is identified.
Review as a group
It is normally helpful (and necessary) to review the crisis in a staff meeting, where staff discuss the incident like a scenario. It’s also important to evaluate the crisis response system, not just what individuals did.
Questions are:
Exactly what happened leading up to and during the crisis? (Draw up an exact timeline of events if it’s helpful.)
Why did it happen?
How effective was the response?
What other possible responses could have been effective?
What went well?
What didn't?
What do we need to learn from this?
What should we do differently next time? Do we need to change procedures or training?
The staff then decides on any necessary changes in procedure.
This kind of group debrief is also an excellent approach to training new staff and reinforcing existing training. Each team member can recognize good and bad responses, and effective and ineffective team behavior.
Specific hints:
Actively state the debriefing and critique agenda and ask the team for topics that they'd like to cover.
Set time limits and keep to them.
Ask the team for their appraisal of the job overall.
Discuss both positive and negative points of team performance.
Highlight the processes that were followed, coordination concepts and specific behaviors.
Make sure that all team members participate in the discussion, and draw out quiet or hostile team members.
State your own perceptions, but guard against making the team defensive. Keep your comments as objective as possible and focus on performance.
Make it a positive learning experience.
Give feedback that is specific, objective, usable, and constructive.
Don't preach.
Don't omit items worthy of team discussion.
Be patient.
Help team members to accept critique objectively and nondefensively.
Be constructive in probing into key areas where improvement is needed.
Ask the team for specific feedback on your performance.
At the conclusion of the session, give a clear summary of the key learning points for all participants, including the discussion leader.
It can be even more effective if you use video recordings of incidents during debriefing sessions. Select segments for discussion that show specific behaviors. (Erase recordings of simulations and classroom activities afterwards for privacy reasons.) Video recordings are especially compelling because they capture strengths and weaknesses and display them vividly to participants, who get to see themselves from a third-person perspective.
Evacuation: Be prepared
Register with your embassy or consulate.
If your Embassy offers you a position as honorary security warden, we recommend that you accept it. You should expect to have a contact person in the Embassy and you should seek to use it as a two-way information channel when necessary.
Find two safe routes from your home to the nearest military post, one for travel by foot and one for travel by car. Try it out; walk the distance. Check where the post has its entrance. In many countries army posts are much less likely as target than police stations.
Maintain good relationships with your neighbors. If you are accepted in the neighborhood, neighbors will give you information and some kinds of help.
Listen to short-wave radio. The BBC World Service and Radio Australia are both reliable, but Radio Australia usually gives a more complete coverage of Southeast Asian affairs. Be aware that frequencies change for various hours of the day. Have on hand Radio Australia's frequencies, available from Radio Australia, P.O. Box 4286, Melbourne, Vie. 3001, Australia.
Do not keep too much sensitive information; if you have too much it becomes hard to burn.
Keep sensitive files separate from other files.
Be able to pack an emergency bag (see instructions and list below):
Have items at home.
Have bags partly packed with items that are not in use.
Have the list of contents written in large letters in the bags so that you can easily pack in a short time.
The Country Director will remind staff that their home-country office should keep an up-to-date file on them. The file should have the following information:
photocopy of passport and visa,
who to contact in case of an emergency,
blood groups of all family members, and
a copy of the will or a form explaining where the will is and who the executor is. The form shall also explain the desired funeral arrangements (funeral: homeland, field or both; body buried or cremated, homeland or field), state clearly who the children's guardians are, and temporary guardians in case the permanent guardians are not on the field.
Have extra passport photos on hand.
You might like to put brightly-colored cloth tape up the spines of passports so that they won't easily get lost at the immigration counter.
Prepare your address book NOW. It should contain addresses and telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of:
your Embassy and Consulates (with names of specific contact people if you have them),
your airline company agencies,
information offices at major airports
contact people in your home country,
selected relatives,
selected nationals (including your sponsor, pastor, and landlord),
your bank
hotels,
key organizational leaders outside the country
Information network
Well before the risk period, each team should set up an information network so that you know who can give you information, who can verify it, and who else should get it. Of course, every team member will be on the network, as well as the Country Director and other team leaders.
Decide which people of other companies will be on your information line.
They will not normally be part of our decision-making structure.
Pass on our decisions as recommendations only.
They will not be responsible for passing on information to other workers.
The list of non-members of our organization will include:
any visitors that you have in the country
coworkers and friends from kindred organizations, and local people etc. who might be able to provide information or who need your information.
Embassies and Consulates
Local networks of friends
Team Members: Channeling information to team leaders
In a time of tension, team members will channel information to team leaders as soon as possible. The team leader is responsible for the flow of information. If your team leader is not available, channel information to the assistant team leader.
Do not report it to anybody else; it is not recommended that every team member telephone every other team member with every tidbit of information. This would block telephone lines so that important messages cannot get through. (A common pitfall in crisis management is a lack of control over information flow.)
Some items of information are more reliable than others:
Although you should not spread untrue rumors, you will hear many unconfirmed reports that could well be true. Indonesians tend to use the grapevine for passing on information. If the person who passed them on to you is credible (does not normally panic, exaggerate or lie), pass unconfirmed reports on to the team leader. Say that your information is unconfirmed.
Report eyewitness information, that is, witnessed by you or someone credible (pass on the name of the witness, and say who they are).
Report confirmed information, that is, witnessed independently by more than one credible person.
Report official information, and name the sources. (Official sources vary in credibility.)
When passing information within your organization, be sure to stick to only relevant information, so that the team leader is not overloaded with too many telephone calls:
Write down information as clearly, concisely and accurately as possible, and either fax it or read it out over the phone slowly enough for them to write it down. (Do not attempt to give a spontaneous, verbal description of the situation.)
Answer any questions clearly and simply. Be willing to say that you don't have information.
Stick to the important facts: Who, what, why, when, where? What danger is there to members of the organization?
Identify potential consequences of the information, but give as little as you can of your own interpretations and opinions.
SUMMARY
Write down the facts before you telephone:
What happened? Give concise details.
Where did it happen?
When?
What did your reliable witness (name) see?
Is this report confirmed or unconfirmed?
Is there an official report? (Name of organization.)
What danger is there for members of the organization?
Say "This is (name). We have an emergency. Here are the facts." Then read your list to the team leader. The team leader should read the information back to the caller to confirm the contents of the message.
Team Leaders verify information
The team leader will assess the information. He/she is responsible for its accuracy. The team leader will:
Assess whether each report is
Very reliable,
Reliable,
Unknown,
Suspect, or,
Unreliable.
Note the possibility of language miscommunication.
Verify the reports
Contact reliable sources directly; they will usually be national people who you trust who living near or at the location of the reported crisis.
Gather more reports from team members and other people in your information network.
If the information is not verified, the process is suspended until more information comes in. If you only have unconfirmed reports, then the information is inadequate for taking action.
If the information is verified, the team leader will keep team members up-to-date with developments, because everybody needs to know what is going on. Contact should be frequent enough to allay any justifiable fears and help them take any necessary actions. Team leaders need to consider adverse reactions to communications. Team leaders might need the help of assistants to keep everyone adequately informed.
The team leader will inform the Country Director (or Deputy Country Director). The Director should give support and make a time for a return telephone call.
Country Director
If he/she believes the information to be accurate, the Country Director will contact:
The Regional Director, or if he/she is unavailable, the Director in the most closely related country. The fax /e-mail should be addressed to both Regional and International offices to ensure that they get exactly the same information (see below).
The international office.
The home country offices, especially those with in-country staff, asking them to contact the families concerned.
Early warning stage
An early warning allows team members maximum time to take precautions.
The Team Leader in consultation with Country Director will:
Put your team on Early Warning, if the situation is tense and there are reliable reports of violent unrest in other places that could spread to your area.
Consider the best possible evacuation options for each member. This affects some preparation (flight reservations, travel permits, etc.).
Inform the Regional Director, the International Office, relevant home country offices if you have their staff in country, and any team members outside the country of the situation.
Prepare for local difficulties
Life will continue with a minimum of disruption, but sometimes a situation can escalate very rapidly. There are things that you can do to be ready for many eventualities:
Keep a supply of cash on hand. Expect banks to close down.
You should have both local currency (as banks may close) and US dollars in small bills. (They need to be clean and not marked and dated after 1993; check first. Bills before that date could be the "super-bill" forgeries that were widely distributed in Asia.)
Your organization's emergency fund will be available but withdraw your own money if you can, because the emergency fund might not have enough on hand at no notice to evacuate everyone.
Don't overlook credit cards from foreign bank accounts. (These might be the only way to get plane tickets).
Be sure that basic identity documents (passport, immigration documents, police registration book, etc.) are at home with you.
Expect telephones and mail to be under tight surveillance. Do not expect your mail to get through.
Keep a supply of non-perishable food.
Keep a large supply of water. If you normally use bottled water, get full bottles.
If you use LPG, get full bottles as soon as they become empty
Check that your car is in good mechanical condition and keep its fuel tank full.
Back up your hard drive and put back-ups in a safe place.
Start simplifying your lifestyle. For example, don't purchase items that you don't really need.
Apply personal safety guidelines, and consider:
changing daily schedules,
ceasing or limiting trips to dangerous areas,
traveling in groups when possible.
Put evacuation preparation in place
Although there is very litttle likelihood that you will need to evacuate the country, prepare yourself mentally to cope with people who might take advantage of the situation. (Some nationals might ask for more money, taxis fares might go up, the airport entry fee might increase, etc.)
Listen to a short-wave radio news bulletin at least daily.
Make sure you know where your spouse and children are at all times.
Type several letter of authorization into your computer for things while you are away. Alternatively, you might prepare blank forms and fill them in by hand later.
Reserve international flights as soon as possible; they can fill up quickly.
It is recommended getting a Multiple Exit Re-entry Permit so that you can easily leave the country if necessary. (Your Team Leader will advise you.)
Have emergency bags packed with a second set of basic gear. (A checklist is below.) There are several guidelines for packing bags:
Do not live out of your bags once they are packed.
The point of the list is to have all necessary business papers to leave the county, the few documents that you cannot replace, and everything you need to travel and stay overnight at no prior notice in somewhere like an airport lounge.
Limit your luggage to what you can carry; you might be unable to make a second trip to pick things up. Be able to walk to catch a plane while carrying all your luggage. The list below looks long, but it actually takes little space.
Each child should have a backpack with some basic supplies and photocopies of identification in case they become separated from their parents. You might put identification in pouches hung around their necks.
For some items, one per family would be sufficient (first aid and sewing kits, pocket knife, small radio, spare batteries, some toiletries, etc.).
Some items would normally be kept in a locked cupboard. Have them ready to put in your case at very short notice.
If you choose to take a camera and film, accept that any exposed film might be confiscated if you are searched and authorities think that you have taken photographs of politically sensitive incidents. In the case of electronic cameras, they might just confiscate the camera.
Smart phones and electronic cameras might be confiscated if you are searched and authorities think that you have taken photographs of politically sensitive incidents. In the case of film cameras, any exposed film could be confiscated.
Use plastic bags if your bag is not waterproof
What to pack
Expect to be unable to buy anything at the last minute or on the way. Your bags should contain the following:
originals and photocopies of identification papers (passport, immigration documents, social security card, police registration book, driving licenses, etc.)
originals of certificates and diplomas,
money (including coins for telephones and tips), traveler's checks, and credit cards (some of the money would be carried on your body underneath your clothes), money from your own country and the country to which you might evacuate (in case you arrive when money-changers are shut or take a long time to change money),
airline documents:
airplane tickets,
receipts of payment,
details of reservations,
frequent flyer cards (if you have them),
phone cards,
this handbook,
several changes of comfortable clothes that will be appropriate for all normal situations, and comfortable walking shoes (if space is a problem, the only shoes you take are those you wear),
address book (mentioned above under "Be Prepared").
Other items have been suggested:
passport photos,
insect repellent,
cosmetics purse,
plastic cutlery,
drinking straws or plastic cups,
can opener,
inflatable pillow,
washing powder,
torch/flashlight,
small short-wave radio (if you have one),
several spare batteries,
umbrella,
small sewing kit,
first aid kit,
a length of heavy string or light rope,
tissues.
A pocket knife, paper cutter, and/or scissors are useful, but you cannot take them inside a passenger aircraft.
Do NOT include:
items that you cannot carry onto an airplane,
weapons of any kind,
information that could be interpreted to be incriminating, as you might he searched.
Consider not taking pajamas and other night wear.
Advanced warning
If your Team Leader needs to consider evacuating the team from the country or to a safer part of the country, he/she will contact you and put you on Advanced Warning. The intention of an Advanced Warning is to tell you at the earliest time possible to be ready to leave so that you will be able to prepare. It is NOT a decision to leave, just a stage of alert.
The Team Leader will inform the Country and Regional Directors, the international office, relevant country offices who have staff with you at present. and team members outside the country.
Do not be afraid or panic.
Do not expect telephones, electricity, and water to remain working.
Do not expect banks to be open. ATM machines might be closed down or run out of money and there may be very long queues.
If you are sponsored into the country by a local organization, contact your sponsor and try to leave with a good relationship. (If the sponsor complains that you should not leave, speak with your Team Leader. However, sponsors cannot object to your leaving if either your Embassy or the local government has asked you to evacuate.)
Choose an indigenous person to look after your house, car, and pets and to receive mail.
Print out the Letters of Authority mentioned above. You might need several originals of the letter for mail/parcels, if they sometime take an original letter for each item received. Leave photocopies of the identification mentioned in the letters.
Leave a contact telephone number and address.
Say what to do with faxes and mail that come in. Some kinds of items might need to be opened and read.
Except for helpers who are used to feeding your pets, be aware that some local people will be reluctant to spend money looking after pets.
Will you need to leave money for helpers?
Decide the conditions under which the person may stay in your house. (E.g. Who else can stay with him/her? Food? Wages? Use of phone?)
Check that he/she knows how your house should be locked up.
What about paying electricity, water, telephone bills, newspaper bills, and vehicle registration?
What about canceling newspapers, bread orders, classes, etc.?
Decide what mode of transport you will use. If you take your car, travel in a group, so that you will have fewer cars to manage at the airport.
Decision stage
An evacuation needs to be considered, if lives or the continuation of the work are at stake. The decision to evacuate should be made by the Team Leader or in consultation with one other person, normally the Country Director (if telephones are working) or with one other senior staff member. (A common mistake in crisis management is to involve too many people.) Either decision (to stay or to evacuate) has its disadvantages (the classic 'no-win' situation).
If a serious crisis occurs and a staff member cannot contact his/her Team Leader or other staff members (e.g. phones being cut off), then he/she is allowed to make his/her own decision to evacuate.
The Team Leader must first decide between:
Stay at home. This might be safer than trying to evacuate, especially if events have progressed too fast to evacuate safely. If possible, a single should not stay alone in the house.
A local evacuation. Evacuation in some cases will be very simple. If violence is local, it might be enough simply to go to another part of the city, a military post, or to another city. This is the most likely kind of evacuation. Do not presume that evacuation means you must leave the country.
Leave the country. Evacuating the country is appropriate if violence is widespread and it appears that it might not be quickly over.
The factors influencing a decision to evacuate are:
Some people will need to leave earlier than others (those who have difficulty coping emotionally, families, the sick, pregnant women).
Consider the credibility of the information you have.
What do your nationals/sponsors think? Respect their advice.
It is better to evacuate too early than too late; if you leave it too late, you might not be able to go anywhere. (A crisis can escalate very rapidly.)
Do not presume that national political tension will necessarily result in widespread, continued violence. Actual violence will probably be sporadic and fairly unpredictable.
If the local government authorities order you to evacuate, then you have no choice. If that happens:
If they offer you a letter saying you need to evacuate, accept it (unless it in some way implies that you have done something wrong). It should make immigration work easier at the airport.
If you cannot get a letter, try to note down the identity of the official who ordered the evacuation (not while he's looking, of course). Some of the most important information is visible on government uniforms. (Name, rank, unit, etc.)
Has a colleague's embassy issued an evacuation notice?
In many cases they will have good reasons.
Embassies sometimes evacuate for political reasons (e.g. to make a political protest) rather than for real reasons of personal safety.
Embassies will probably have fairly good information about the higher levels of government and what is happening in the national capital. Do not expect them to be well-informed about very recent provincial developments. In any case, try to get information from them (e.g. via e-mail, fax, internet).
Some embassies are inefficient and/or incompetent; you might need to evacuate even though the embassy feels you are still safe.
How to evacuate
The Team Leader will inform the other country offices of staff being evacuated and send a copy to the Country Director. The other country offices will be asked to contact family members of staff concerned, as they seem fit. He/she will also notify staff currently outside the country. In this section, many of the guidelines apply only to leaving the country.
Check that you have done everything relevant on the Advanced Warning list (see V.3). This list only applies if you might be away from home for a longer period of time or if you have to evacuate the country.
Collect and sort politically sensitive and confidential company documents in one place. You need to choose what you would do with them before you had to leave:
destroy them,
put them into safe keeping with nationals, or,
hold them in safe offices.
Tell the children that they might need to go away for a while. Tell them your probable destination, and that you might not have to leave after all. Answer their questions and allay their fears. Do not make promises that you might not be able to keep. Tell the children that if you have to leave, they will need to cooperate and do as they are told quickly.
Inform your Team Leader, and home country office that you are leaving. Tell them your route, destination, and when you expect to arrive.
After arrival at destination inform your home country office and Team Leader, if possible.
Inform the company branch at your destination that you are coming and when you expect to arrive.
If your hard disk has sensitive information on it, learn beforehand how to take it out of your computer and store it somewhere safe.
Each staff member is responsible to contact his/her sponsor and any local officials that need to know
Destroy the prepared collection of documents or store it in a safe place.
Busy markets, main inter-city roads, and transport terminals are highly vulnerable:
Expect to be searched and questioned at road-blocks.
Avoid markets if possible.
If questioned, stick to your story of what you are doing in the country, which should accord with the occupation for which you have a visa. (E.g. language teacher, visitor, language student, teacher at international school, etc.)
If a team decided to evacuate the country, it does not follow that everyone could easily leave:
Some people might not want to leave for reasons they consider valid. They should discuss appropriate responses with the Team Leader. A hand written statement needs to made.
Those with local citizenship might not be allowed to leave or may have difficulties in getting a visa for another country.
If someone is too sick to leave, then the Team Leader will have to appoint someone to stay with him/her, and consider either:
staying at home, or,
going to hospital, or,
evacuating to an Embassy or Consulate.
During and after evacuation
As long as evacuated workers are not in their home country, they are still under the country leadership and should make further moves only in consultation with the Team Leader and if unavailable with the Country Director.
During and after the evacuation the Team Leader will:
continue to monitor the situation.
keep in contact with all workers.
keep a detailed record on events, decisions made and actions taken.
send updates to the home country offices and others on the information list.
send clear information when the crisis is over and people can come back.
in closing will send a report on the handling of the crisis to the Country Director, Regional Director and International Office.
The Country Director will keep in close contact with the Team Leader giving support and help where needed. He/she will also ensure that adequate post trauma counseling is given to the people involved.