HEAT

HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS TRAINING

riki page - HEAT

HEAT - HOSTILIE ENVIRONMENT AWARENESS TRAINING

Known History

HEAT grew from the same 1990s shift in attitudes towards civilian safety that produced HEFAT. As journalists, aid workers and researchers increasingly found themselves in conflict and post-conflict zones, organisations recognised that awareness and avoidance, were the first line of defence.

Over time the course format has matured into a recognised discipline with a strong emphasis on behavioural change: the goal is not simply to inform delegates, but to change how they think and act under pressure.

HEAT is closely related to and often used interchangeably with, HEFAT (Hostile Environment First Aid Training) and HEST (Hostile Environment Security Training). The distinction is one of emphasis: HEAT centres on situational awareness, threat recognition and the right security mindset, with first aid and trauma care included as part of the wider package rather than the headline.

WHAT IS A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT....-.

HEAT: Understanding the environment is key to knowing the landscape and anticipating what to expect. This is essential reading for anyone operating in culture complex environments.

Structure

HEAT courses typically run for four to five days in a residential setting. The defining feature is immersive, scenario-based learning: practical exercises, role-players and real-life simulations are used to ground knowledge in a realistic environment, so that delegates rehearse decisions rather than simply memorise them.

When choosing a training provider, it is essential to ensure that the course content is relevant to your needs, that the company holds appropriate experience, and that robust safety measures are in place during the training itself.

Important:

There is currently no accredited or regulated HEAT standard. Course content and quality are therefore subjective and can vary significantly between providers. Exercise caution and due diligence when selecting a training company. 3

Centurion (Centurion RAS Ltd), "Hostile Environments & Emergency First Aid Training (HEFAT)".
ENTRi (Europe’s New Training Initiative for Civilian Crisis Management), HEAT curriculum, referenced in CSD.
Centre for Safety and Development (CSD), "What is HEAT training?".
Safer Access, "Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT)".
Centre for Safety and Development (CSD), "What is HEAT training?

Content

THESE COURSES ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO PREPARE PARTICIPANTS FOR OPERATING IN HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS

TYPICAL MODULES INCLUDE:

KIDDNAPPING AWARENESS & PREVENTION Techniques for reducing the risk of abduction and practical strategies for escape or survival.

NAVIGATING CHECKPOINTS Best practices for approaching and passing through both official and unofficial security checkpoints.

ACTIVE SHOOTER RESPONSE Guidance on survival strategies during active shooter incidents, including situational awareness, escape, and evacuation.

SURVIVING AMBUSHES Approaches to recognizing, avoiding, and responding to ambush situations while on foot or in vehicles.

COMMS & JOURNEY RISK MANAGEMENT How to plan routes, communicate your movements, and manage risk while traveling.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT Selecting, carrying, and using protective gear such as ballistic vests and helmets.

DRONE AWARENESS Managing the environment to reduce presence and mitigate surveillance and targeting.

IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES (IEDs) Recognizing signs of IEDs and landmines, and how to respond if discovered.

SAFE EMBARKATION & DISEMBARKATION Protocols for safely entering and leaving vehicles in hostile environments.

EMERGENCY & EVACUATION PLANNING Comprehensive preparation to ensure effective response during emergencies through established protocols, practiced evacuation routes, essential kits, crisis communication, contingency plans, and personnel accountability.

Hostile Environment Awareness Training

HEAT / HEAT+

- KNOW THE ENVIRONMENT 🢃

DURATION FORMAT LOCATION INVESTMENT
4-5 Days Residential Longmoore, Hampshire £1,000 - £1,800

HOW ROCKY ROAD RESILIENCE DELIVERS IT BETTER

Because HEAT is unregulated, the difference between providers comes down to credibility, realism and how far the training reflects the world as it is today. At Rocky Road Resilience, we treat the course as a duty of care, not a tick-box exercise and our RiCE™ programme reframes what HEAT can be.

RiCE™ takes the traditional HEAT foundation and deliberately moves it away from its original combat-zone-only content, stress-testing every element against the modern threat landscape. The classic fundamentals are still there - first aid, trauma care, kidnapping awareness, checkpoints, evacuation planning but we widen the lens so participants understand the full spectrum of risk they actually face, not just the one written for 1990s war reporters.

Crucially, RiCE™ blends the guidance of ISO 31030:2021 (Travel Risk Management) into the course, so Health, Safeguarding and Culture sit alongside Safety and Security rather than being treated as afterthoughts. That broader framework develops wider situational awareness, a genuine culture of duty of care, and the social responsibility that modern organisations - and modern travellers - are now expected to demonstrate.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

Traditional foundations, modernised. - We keep every life-saving fundamental a credible HEAT course must cover, then pressure-test it against today's threats - digital surveillance, civil unrest, drone awareness and mental resilience, so nothing is taught simply because it always has been.

01

The wider threat landscape. - RiCE™ broadens the HEAT understanding beyond hostile environments to the realities of complex deployments and activities, helping participants recognise and manage the full range of risks they will actually encounter.

02

Never online. - This is an awareness course, we have a responsibility to make sure learning is taking place in context. An online version will only inform, it does not allow participants to become intrinsically aware - it would be irresponsible for us, or anyone, to run or accept anything other than face-to-face delivery. We combine classroom learning with micro-immersive scenario-based exercises and refuse to reduce life-saving training to a "tick-box" activity.

03

Built on ISO 31030:2021. By taking a lead from the international Travel Risk Management guidance document, we place Health, Safeguarding and Culture on an equal footing with Safety and Security, building duty of care and social responsibility into the DNA of our courses.

04

Context and Wellbeing. - Scenarios are delivered within controlled, professionally risk-assessed conditions. Scenarios are micro-immersive to maximise learning and reduce exposure, we are not a Hollywood production. Each participant is supported to engage within their own physical and emotional limits.

05

Our Promise: In an unregulated market, we pride ourselves on being transparent about what our certificates represent, their validity period and when you should consider refreshing your knowledge. We avoid claiming the title of "expert" in the diverse field of travel risk, expertise in all areas is impossible. Instead, our mission is to lay a strong foundation through thoughtfully designed courses. Above all, we are teachers, not trainers. We facilitate a student-centred approach, learning from our participants’ experiences and perspectives and continuously testing these insights against our course framework, robust research, and the experience of our team and trusted affiliates.