Navigating Unfamiliar Territories: Hostile Environment Training vs Location-Specific Training Courses

In an increasingly interconnected world, individuals working in various professions often find themselves in environments that present unique challenges and potential risks. For those travelling into unfamiliar or potentially hazardous territories, understanding how to navigate and respond to hostile situations is essential.

The two primary approaches to equipping individuals with essential training are hostile environment training and location-specific training courses. These training methods differ in focus, with varying degrees of applicability. 

This is where HET can help, providing the essential knowledge and skill set to thrive in such differing demanding scenarios.

Location-Specific Training Courses

In the realm of specialised training courses, location-specific training has emerged as an option for organisations operating in specific hostile environments. These programs focus solely on the endemic hazards prevalent in the designated area, tailoring the training to address specific threats encountered in that country or specific region.

These courses prioritise imparting skills relevant to navigating and mitigating threats unique to that region. Rather than considering a broad spectrum of dangers, they concentrate solely on what individuals are likely to encounter, often overlooking the minute details that can make the difference.

However, this intense focus comes with a trade-off – participants may lack the broader qualification that a comprehensive HET course provides, as their training is narrowly tailored to a specific place. The emphasis is on preparing individuals to handle street-to-street or country-to-country variations in risks, inadvertently leading to complacency or oversight of critical lifesaving and universal skills.

Hostile Environment Training

Hostile environment training is core training that provides individuals with hands-on experience in realistic hostile scenarios. The skills taught in these courses include kidnappings, first aid and the usual core skills, such as navigation and radio communications.

While this training equips individuals for most hazards that could be encountered in a hostile environment, environments such as the Arctic or the jungle require specialised focus due to their distinct set of challenges.

At HET, individuals are taught the principles of staying safe in hostile environments, whether this be through doing risk assessments, understanding personal security and situational awareness and crisis management. Our training is not tied to a specific location, ultimately preparing you and making it adaptable to a wide range of hostile destinations and scenarios.

Choosing the Right Training for You

When deciding between hostile environment training and location-specific training courses, it is important to consider your situation and requirements. While location-specific training courses are good for an in-depth skillset specific to a particular area, they do not equip you with the level or range of skills that hostile environment training does.

By investing in the right training, with a broader range of topics and adaptable skills, you will be better equipped to navigate the challenges that come with operating in hostile environments. Also, not buying into the right training is not buying into the safety of yourself and the peace of mind of your stakeholders. 

At HET, we provide benchmark hostile environment training that covers a range of different topic areas. Our HEAT course covers elements such as kidnap, conflict management and voice comms, while our HEFAT course covers advanced trauma and first aid training and weapon familiarisation. For more information on each of our courses and their content, and which course would be best suited to your needs, contact our team today.