More and more organisations and companies are sending their employees on HEAT courses before allowing them to travel to higher-risk regions of the world. Travel&Risk offers a HEAT course, which you can read more about here. If you participate in our training, you will get a HEAT-certificate. But what exactly is HEAT? This article will help you better understand the concept.
Where HEAT as a course concept originally emerged is somewhat lost to history, but evidence suggests that the acronym Hostile Environment Awareness Training first appeared in the U.S. military more than 30 years ago. Today, the term HEAT is most commonly used to describe a safety course aimed at civilians travelling to high-risk areas—such as NGO workers and journalists. Increasingly, HEAT is also being adopted by private companies sending employees abroad, such as engineers. The acronym is used globally, and HEAT courses can be found in every region of the world.
Like many well-used terms, HEAT has multiple interpretations: Hostile Environment Awareness Training, Hazardous Environment Awareness Training, or High-Risk Environment Awareness Training. These names all share the same core purpose—preparing employees to travel in high-risk environments. However, there is no consensus on how to achieve that goal. HEAT courses vary widely in content, principles, learning objectives, and teaching methods. The only elements that are almost universally included are safety related to weapons, mines, and vehicle operations. Most HEAT courses also include first aid, though not all providers offer it as part of their HEAT program. Some refer to it as HEFAT (Hostile Environment and First Aid Training) when first aid is included. Whether softer elements—such as cultural awareness, gender sensitivity, and stress management—are part of the curriculum varies significantly between providers.
Not everyone attending a HEAT course sees themselves as operating in hostile environments. As a result, some providers and clients prefer alternative terms like “High-Risk” or “Hazardous” instead of “Hostile.” Still, the fact remains that most HEAT courses are rooted in—or closely aligned with—a military framework, and the majority of HEAT instructors have military backgrounds. One of the most important factors to consider when comparing HEAT courses is the extent to which the content, pedagogy, and scenarios are based on military training versus adapted to a civilian context. Unfortunately, this can also be one of the hardest aspects to assess clearly, as it involves content, structure, teaching style, and instructor qualifications.
There is no universally agreed-upon standard for what a HEAT course should include, although several attempts have been made to standardise it. ENTRi (Europe’s New Training Initiative for Civilian Crisis Management), which was 90% EU-funded, developed a standardised program and certified a number of providers. However, ENTRi closed in 2019 and never made a significant impact on the broader HEAT training market.
While a standard could make it easier for clients to compare offerings, we believe that the HEAT standards proposed so far have not sufficiently addressed pedagogical quality or the diverse needs of participants. In our view, a HEAT standard should not be a rigid checklist of topics (e.g., GPS navigation or off-road driving, which may be irrelevant for many participants), but rather ensure that the content is relevant, that there is a focus on learning and transferring that learning to practice, and that employers’ legal obligations (Duty of Care) to safeguard their travelling employees are taken into account.
As an employer, you hold the overall responsibility for employees travelling abroad. At the same time, you rely heavily on the employee’s ability to manage their own safety. So how do you prepare your travelling staff?
Risk Awareness: Travelling employees must be aware of the risks they face and understand their role in increasing or reducing those risks. They should also recognise that when they take risks, they do so on behalf of the entire organisation—since relationships, finances, and projects can suffer if employees get into trouble, are injured, or killed while travelling.
Risk Mitigation: Travelling employees must be able to assess and adjust their behaviour to enhance their personal safety during the trip.
Compliance: Travelling employees should know the organisation’s rules and guidelines and be able to follow them.
Crisis Management: Travelling employees should be familiar with the organisation’s emergency protocols. They don’t need to know every detail, but they should be able to ask the right questions, such as:
Who do I contact if I experience an incident?
Who is responsible for helping me if I face security issues?
What is my responsibility if I encounter problems with local authorities?
How will I be evacuated if the security situation suddenly deteriorates?
