Crisis Preparedness: Lessons from a Kidnapping

Feb 21, 2017 | Security

On October 25, 2011, a young American humanitarian aid worker, Jessica Buchanan, was in Somalia teaching children how to avoid landmines when she and her colleague were kidnapped for ransom by Somali bandits. They were held in the desert at gunpoint for 93 days before...

3 Crucial Crisis Management Leadership Traits

Feb 10, 2017 | Crisis Management, Emergency Management

There are many skills and personal traits that leaders should have in everyday business. During a crisis, a leader needs to have a range of specific traits that are crucial to the management of the incident. Here are three of those traits based on my personal...

5 Principles of Situational Awareness While Traveling

Jan 18, 2017 | Security

So, what is situational awareness? There are many definitions all of which explain what situational awareness is in a similar way. The term we use is as follows: Situational Awareness is “closely monitoring what is going on around you in a complex and dynamic...

An Interview with Jessica Buchanan

Jan 17, 2017 | Emergency Management, Podcast, Security

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSSOn October 25, 2011, Jessica Buchanan and a colleague were kidnapped at gunpoint by Somali land pirates and held for 93 days, enduring the most harrowing and painful experience of her...

4 Essential Crisis Management Tools

Dec 21, 2016 | Crisis Management, Emergency Management, Exercises, Security

1. The Master Events Log The MEL (Master Events Log) is an essential document that can help the crisis team document the incident as soon as it starts to unfold. The MEL is a document that should be filled out by a scribe who usually is in close coordination with the...