How Beacon Consulting HEAT initiative drives Nigeria’s security training

In Nigeria, there is an urgent need for individuals and corporate organisations to enhance their ability to keep themselves safe as security threats such as kidnapping, banditry, and social unrest continue to rise and the risk of exposure of individuals and organizations increases.

According to a Beacon Consulting report on Nigeria’s security, the country has recorded its highest death incidents in the first three months of 2022.

This is worrying, however, what is even more worrying is that the ongoing preparations for the 2023 elections are likely to exacerbate the conditions that drive insecurity and would mean the government security agencies’ attention is diverted to addressing the threat factors meaning a higher risk of exposure to these risks, unfortunately.

Therefore, personal security is, in fact, more important than any form of security: you are responsible for yourself first, you are to look out for yourself first, and you must take your safety into your hands before leaving it to the security agencies.

Read also: Security is everyone’s business

To ensure that Nigerians receive training on personal security, the Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) – an intensive security training initiative, teaches individuals how to manage life threatening security situations and how to reduce the chances of coming out badly hurt.

Through this immersive scenario, the participants learn and practice exercises that teach them how to navigate security incidents.

HEAT ideally is conducted over a five-day period, which is the recommended duration that allows effective delivery of the course contents.

According to Beacon Consulting in a statement, HEAT aims to enhance delivery and the depiction of actual security threats that participants will be immersed in the learning environment is an important factor.

“The HEAT course content would normally feature the following; situational awareness, threat appreciation, stress management, cultural understanding, journey security, confrontation management, security incident response, kidnap and ransom, and first aid,” the statement said.

Although the HEAT training was designed to aid workers deployed to high-risk/hostile environments, it is needed by corporate bodies and individuals, this is mainly due to the security situation in the country and how urban regions have become very hostile, the statement stated.