Safety and security - a natural part of operations

Since 11 September 2001, the working situation of personnel on humanitarian operations has become more difficult.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack and the USA's response to it, murder, kidnap­ping and armed attacks on aid workers have become considerably more common. This is one of the reasons why the SRSA has put more of an emphasis on safety and se­curity in recent years, partly by employing two experts in safety and security issues.

RISK ANALYSIS

Before a decision is made concerning an operation, a risk analysis is carried out using sources including UN contacts, personnel in the field, reports from aid organisations and security companies. A high potential threat does not necessarily mean a high risk, if various measures can be taken to reduce the risk. It may be pos­sible to fulfill the objectives of an operation in a different way, with lower risks.

That's why these decisions cannot be made on the basis of a template or model - every situation has to be assessed individually.

Gathering and evaluating information on areas where the security situation is deteriorating is just as important as having a good basis for assessing safety before an operation.

TRAINING

Although good general safety assess­ments do exist, it is still the individual who has to make the crucial decisions in difficult situations. Training and informing operational personnel and their managers therefore forms a cornerstone of the SRSA's approach to safety and security.

Basic training for operational person­nel and briefing days prior to operations always include discussions, facts and training exercises on safety threats.

"We often have excellent discussions on safety issues, since many of the partici­pants have been on operations before. This is of great help to personnel who then have to make their own decisions under stress;' says Anna-Maria Gabrielsson, safety expert.

"With solid knowledge, experience, and personnel who can make sound decisions, safety does not constitute an obstacle, but a natural part of the work that can increase the possibility of carrying out operations in difficult conditions» she emphasises.

Talking things through

Between them, the personnel of the SRSA have a great deal of experience in helping people who have been affected by emergency and disaster situations. Courses in this area have been run by the SRSA for many years, both in Swe­den and internationally.

More recently, preventive stress manage­ment and debriefing have become more common. Since 2007, Folke Ryman has been in charge of stress management at the International Department. He has noticed that people's attitudes to various types of stress therapy have changed.

"Previously, many of the members of the SRSA teams were used to the grueling nature of their work as firemen or soldiers. They were sometimes dismissive of stress management. Now, many more different professions are involved in the teams, and therapy is generally seen as a matter of course':

All those who return home from an international mission are given the opp­ortunity to talk through their experiences, often as part of SRSA reunions, and some­times as soon as they arrive home. One of Folke Ryman's tasks is to ensure that crisis therapy procedures work smoothly. He also works as a stress coach and instructor.

"Preventive work should not be unde­restimated. By increasing awareness of stress, you can increase stress resistance. The challenge is to put theoretical know­ledge into practice in reality' says Folke Ryman.

USEFUL RESOURCES

One example of a useful stress manage­ment resource is a relaxation CD that is given to all personnel before they embark on international missions. An information pack has also been developed specifically for relatives. It explains situations and feelings that can arise after a completed operation, such as exhaustion, illness, or in the most severe cases, breakdown.

"Stress research is a new academic discipline and it is developing fast. At­tention is now given to how factors such as language, gender, environment, culture, hygiene, sleep, food and drink can affect us and contribute to stress' explains Folke Ryman.

THESOONERTHEBETTER

He receives feedback in several ways. The most tangible of these is when operational personnel get in touch to tell him that they have managed to get over their dif­ficult emotions.

"The sooner therapy takes place after an operation, the less expertise is required. But just knowing that you have the option of talking things through is a comfort in itself;' says Falke Ryman.