PROTECT and PREVENT (2): Be safe on the journey

Traveling is always an adventure. Self-protection while traveling is just as important as professionally guided travel planning and personal protection. Wolfgang Lehner, CEO of EMERISIS, specializes in this and will sensitize and educate participants on this topic at the PROTECT AND PREVENT personal protection conference this year. There are still a few spots left for PROTECT AND PREVENT from July 14 to 16 - HERE you can find all information and registration for the event.

SPARTANAT: Security for the individual is becoming a comprehensive topic. What are the basics of travel safety, i.e., what everyone should be aware of?

Safety first: fire extinguisher training is a basic.

EMERISIS: Travel security begins with the planning of the trip and ends with debriefing in the home country. Before starting the journey, organizational planning or a "risk analysis" is essential. What dangers am I exposing myself to? What could happen to me? How can I protect myself with technical, organizational, or personal measures or minimize their effects? For example, backup of travel documents in paper form, a personal travel pharmacy, availability of important emergency contacts, my contact person in the destination country, etc. - Protective measures vary from country to country, from continent to continent, but there is a basic level of protection that can cover many things.

SPARTANAT: Is it an advantage to be a "Gray man," to attract as little attention as possible? What should the traveling Gray Man be particularly aware of?

EMERISIS: Being a Gray Man contributes, in my opinion, sustainably to safety when traveling - not only in high-risk countries. If you are recognized as a foreigner or valuable target, this can already be the beginning of an unpleasant experience while traveling. It doesn't have to be a kidnapper or terrorist; it's enough to be robbed. By clothing, jewelry, a wide city map visibly displayed, the demonstratively worn digital camera, and of course by language, one can quickly identify oneself as a "foreigner." Avoiding conspicuous emblems, logos, or jewelry helps to blend into the crowd. Casual or plain clothing, tailored to local dress codes, is recommended. Especially in our industry, tactical appearance is always a topic. Do I want to be consciously perceived as a Close Protection Officer, or do I stay more discreet in the background? This is something to think about. If someone is walking around with a Molle backpack, a paracord bracelet, and a tactical baseball cap, they should not be surprised to be "exposed."

SPARTANAT: What would you absolutely and definitely avoid while traveling?

Simulated injury for a TCCC training.

EMERISIS: This can be answered in one sentence: "Embark on a trip unprepared - no matter where..."

SPARTANAT: Being self-responsible is the first step, you offer professional services with EMERISIS for travelers and their safety. What do you do there?

From "self-protection measures" for the individual to complete travel preparation for a high-risk country, EMERISIS can offer everything.

EMERISIS: We prepare travelers for potential dangerous situations. This starts with comprehensive "self-protection measures" for likely emergencies, for example: fire, first aid, etc., up to travel preparation for the "high-risk countries," for example: cultural peculiarities, behavior at checkpoints, Kidnap and Ransom, etc. Following the motto: How do I protect myself but also my fellow travelers (family, friends, colleagues). What works and what doesn't! A team of experienced trainers from authorities, the military, emergency organizations, and security experts from the private sector teach participants in our training and workshops the most important basics of travel safety.

SPARTANAT: What does supervised travel safety entail?

Travel preparation: scenario pickpocket.

EMERISIS: Supervised travel security includes all phases of the trip: measures before starting the journey, measures during the journey, and the emergency and crisis situation. We develop a holistic security concept together with the customer, tailored to the trip and activities and their resulting possible risks. If necessary, we also provide personnel support to the customer in case of an emergency.

Ready for emergencies: in the crisis center.

EMERISIS: What applies at home also applies when traveling: being vigilant is the top priority. Perpetrators are never invisible, whether tricksters, pickpockets, or terrorists - unfortunately, they are often noticed too late. The second important point: Know your surroundings or become familiar with them! Where are security facilities in my immediate surroundings? How can I quickly leave these places in an emergency?

SPARTANAT: EMERISIS primarily works in the area of emergency, crisis, and disaster management - a crisis center is shown in the image above. What do you do there?

EMERISIS: We offer holistic security concepts to companies, organizations, authorities, as well as private individuals. These include plans, manuals, or checklists for emergencies or crises, crisis communication concepts, alarm and notification plans, and evacuation concepts. We also support through training and workshops as well as realistic emergency and crisis exercises. Together with our customers, we analyze the current situation and develop tailored customized solutions. Each of our concepts is trained/tested and ends with a realistic exercise. This ensures that the concept works and that the people who depend on it in an emergency can work with it.

EMERISIS - Emergency & Crisis Management, Nussgasse 6, A-2102 Bisamberg, AUSTRIA - Phone: +43 676 53 130 51 - Email: [email protected] - Homepage: www.emerisis.com

PROTECT AND PREVENT online: www.protect-and-prevent.at/

All information about the event HERE on SPARTANA.

Security with SAPI: plate tested for ballistic resistance.