Safety and Security tips for overseas
Jun. 26th, 2009 04:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
floraOne in a series of Fulbright Orientation notes. Not all these are public yet. It's mainly for my reference when we're in India.
These are my notes from this morning's talk. I'm making this entry public since others might be interested. I will try to hide this behind a cut, but it's cross-posting from DreamWidth so I apologize to LJ friends if the cut doesn't work.
My notes from 26 June 2009 Fulbright Orientation speaker on Safety and Security - Michael O'Neill, former director of safety for Peace Corps, now at Save the Children.
Packing List (mainly for in-country)
* Get ALL Contact info for our in-country contact person - their office, home, work, personal cell and email, facebook, gmail account, instant messenger, whatever we can get.
* 3-day survival change-of-clothes in our carry-on luggage.
* First-aid kit, medications; for plane, keep prescriptions in original containers
* Dupatta or similar long cloth strip - has many uses: sun-shade, pillow, blanket, shawl/wrap, turban, carry-sack, etc.
* Extra passport photos; some cities may require special registration/papers. (Internal note - this speaker was mainly in Africa, don't know in India)
Documents:
* Scan electronic copies of your passport, and all official documents; Internet cafes are common if you need to print it out. Email them to your personal gmail account.
* Also scan copies of credit cards, but cover up the expiration date and memorize it.
* Have an impressive stack of documents with your name on it - birth certificate, international driver's license, all sorts of official-looking paperwork. Sometimes the quantity of items is sufficient. (recommended by another fulbrighter)
Awareness:
Beforehand: Research now the big picture - history of the country, its political situation, when's the election and will you be there for it? Know demographics, health situations, natural disasters.
On arriving:
* Get to know the overall environment and local surroundings. Identify where safe places might be - Bodegas/local shops like 7-11, hotels, hostels.
* Ask for people's names, like servers, shopkeepers, taxi drivers. Develop good relations. Not only is it respectful and you get better service, but you never know when it might help. They might offer unsolicited advice, such as stay away from that soccer game, there might be trouble.
* Read the local newspaper, listen to the radio. Anticipate when there might be events and avoid them.
* Be mindful of how others perceive you.
Safety:
* Know ahead of time: How strong are you? How fast can you run? What's your tolerance for harassment?
* Most assailants are young and male, and fitter/stronger than you
* As you get comfortable, be mindful of differences. Day and Night have different safety levels.
* Look for warning signs; trust your senses. R
* Tips from Gavin Debecker (security guru to Oprah?) book, Gift of Fear, watch for:
- Forced Teaming: standing in line waiting forever at a bank, a guy next to you says a small remark like "oh, we have to be so patient." The "We" breaks down that barrier between you and him; why is he doing that? what's his motivation?
- Charming: It's a verb; he's charming me. What are his motives? If he invites me to a cup of coffee, and coffee turns into lunch, and lunch turns into the evening and go out for drinks, what then? If trading affection time for coffee, be sure you're comfortable doing that. Watch out for loan sharking - what's the exchange rate?
Mitigation:
* Act to reduce the exposure to risk. Choose to avoid the situation (already bypassed for the 500 people listening to him). If not, reduce the probability of occurrences, and reduce the impact should the event occur.
* Example: Driving and traffic accidents - leading cause of accidental death in children worldwide. The second most dangerous thing in-country will be riding in a taxicab. Here in USA, we have 911, jaws of life, medevac; those services may not be available over there. Here in USA, they change a serious accident by reducing the impact. Without those services, a critical accident could be life threatening.
* Similarly, diarrhea - reduce the probability of getting it by boiling water, being careful; then reduce impact by drinking fluids, taking Imodium, etc.
Diffusion:
(defusing a bad situation)
* Remain calm. Take a deep breath; breath control really helps.
* Most problems he's seen have occurred in situations when a person is: 1) alone, 2) under the influence, 3) at night, 4) in a city or unfamiliar environment out of sight of their normal place, 5) on a weekend.
* Give the assailant what they want - money, jewelry/watches, etc. Do not carry anything to the country you cannot bear to part with.
* Reduce the tension. Be humble.
* Keep things from escalating. Example: a fistfight broke out from an argument over a taxi fare. Don't fight for the principle - 36 cents is not a principle!
Escape:
* Move to safety, not just away from danger.
* Get to know the area; pull up Google Maps etc. before we go. Where is City Hall, the village square, etc.; identify routes to safety.
* Commit to your decision.
* Move expeditiously with care and speed.
Defense:
* Quote of the day: "Fear will not make you Chuck Norris!"
* Act to improve your chances of survival.
* Self-defense classes should teach heightened awareness first, then fighting techniques. If they just start in with physical techniques, get your money back.
* To be good, Physical training needs constant practice - must be simple, precise, and effective. Most people don't practice enough.
* Research shows that normal people will fight off assailants physically just like they fought their brothers/sisters as children - bite, scratch, kick, punch, elbow. This is true even if they've previously had a self-defense course.
* Verbal - yell, cajole, assert yourself.
* Make eye contact with suspicious people - use your body language to say hey buddy, I know what you're up to, don't even think about it.
* Psychological techniques - be sick/self-induce vomiting; act like a crazy person; defile oneself (pee/feces). The last bit attracted giggles from the kids who were there.
Lots of interesting, practical advice for those going abroad.
These are my notes from this morning's talk. I'm making this entry public since others might be interested. I will try to hide this behind a cut, but it's cross-posting from DreamWidth so I apologize to LJ friends if the cut doesn't work.
My notes from 26 June 2009 Fulbright Orientation speaker on Safety and Security - Michael O'Neill, former director of safety for Peace Corps, now at Save the Children.
Packing List (mainly for in-country)
* Get ALL Contact info for our in-country contact person - their office, home, work, personal cell and email, facebook, gmail account, instant messenger, whatever we can get.
* 3-day survival change-of-clothes in our carry-on luggage.
* First-aid kit, medications; for plane, keep prescriptions in original containers
* Dupatta or similar long cloth strip - has many uses: sun-shade, pillow, blanket, shawl/wrap, turban, carry-sack, etc.
* Extra passport photos; some cities may require special registration/papers. (Internal note - this speaker was mainly in Africa, don't know in India)
Documents:
* Scan electronic copies of your passport, and all official documents; Internet cafes are common if you need to print it out. Email them to your personal gmail account.
* Also scan copies of credit cards, but cover up the expiration date and memorize it.
* Have an impressive stack of documents with your name on it - birth certificate, international driver's license, all sorts of official-looking paperwork. Sometimes the quantity of items is sufficient. (recommended by another fulbrighter)
Awareness:
Beforehand: Research now the big picture - history of the country, its political situation, when's the election and will you be there for it? Know demographics, health situations, natural disasters.
On arriving:
* Get to know the overall environment and local surroundings. Identify where safe places might be - Bodegas/local shops like 7-11, hotels, hostels.
* Ask for people's names, like servers, shopkeepers, taxi drivers. Develop good relations. Not only is it respectful and you get better service, but you never know when it might help. They might offer unsolicited advice, such as stay away from that soccer game, there might be trouble.
* Read the local newspaper, listen to the radio. Anticipate when there might be events and avoid them.
* Be mindful of how others perceive you.
Safety:
* Know ahead of time: How strong are you? How fast can you run? What's your tolerance for harassment?
* Most assailants are young and male, and fitter/stronger than you
* As you get comfortable, be mindful of differences. Day and Night have different safety levels.
* Look for warning signs; trust your senses. R
* Tips from Gavin Debecker (security guru to Oprah?) book, Gift of Fear, watch for:
- Forced Teaming: standing in line waiting forever at a bank, a guy next to you says a small remark like "oh, we have to be so patient." The "We" breaks down that barrier between you and him; why is he doing that? what's his motivation?
- Charming: It's a verb; he's charming me. What are his motives? If he invites me to a cup of coffee, and coffee turns into lunch, and lunch turns into the evening and go out for drinks, what then? If trading affection time for coffee, be sure you're comfortable doing that. Watch out for loan sharking - what's the exchange rate?
Mitigation:
* Act to reduce the exposure to risk. Choose to avoid the situation (already bypassed for the 500 people listening to him). If not, reduce the probability of occurrences, and reduce the impact should the event occur.
* Example: Driving and traffic accidents - leading cause of accidental death in children worldwide. The second most dangerous thing in-country will be riding in a taxicab. Here in USA, we have 911, jaws of life, medevac; those services may not be available over there. Here in USA, they change a serious accident by reducing the impact. Without those services, a critical accident could be life threatening.
* Similarly, diarrhea - reduce the probability of getting it by boiling water, being careful; then reduce impact by drinking fluids, taking Imodium, etc.
Diffusion:
(defusing a bad situation)
* Remain calm. Take a deep breath; breath control really helps.
* Most problems he's seen have occurred in situations when a person is: 1) alone, 2) under the influence, 3) at night, 4) in a city or unfamiliar environment out of sight of their normal place, 5) on a weekend.
* Give the assailant what they want - money, jewelry/watches, etc. Do not carry anything to the country you cannot bear to part with.
* Reduce the tension. Be humble.
* Keep things from escalating. Example: a fistfight broke out from an argument over a taxi fare. Don't fight for the principle - 36 cents is not a principle!
Escape:
* Move to safety, not just away from danger.
* Get to know the area; pull up Google Maps etc. before we go. Where is City Hall, the village square, etc.; identify routes to safety.
* Commit to your decision.
* Move expeditiously with care and speed.
Defense:
* Quote of the day: "Fear will not make you Chuck Norris!"
* Act to improve your chances of survival.
* Self-defense classes should teach heightened awareness first, then fighting techniques. If they just start in with physical techniques, get your money back.
* To be good, Physical training needs constant practice - must be simple, precise, and effective. Most people don't practice enough.
* Research shows that normal people will fight off assailants physically just like they fought their brothers/sisters as children - bite, scratch, kick, punch, elbow. This is true even if they've previously had a self-defense course.
* Verbal - yell, cajole, assert yourself.
* Make eye contact with suspicious people - use your body language to say hey buddy, I know what you're up to, don't even think about it.
* Psychological techniques - be sick/self-induce vomiting; act like a crazy person; defile oneself (pee/feces). The last bit attracted giggles from the kids who were there.
Lots of interesting, practical advice for those going abroad.
