GJS provides Hostile Environment and First Aid Training (HEFAT) for journalists, NGO professionals, and other civilians operating in moderate and high-risk environments.

We focus on the skills that a journalist or NGO worker would need to successfully navigate unrest, combat, criminal targeting or threats of sexual violence by equipping our trainees with concise, action-oriented training.

Our HEFAT courses range from 2-day refresher courses to comprehensive 5-day courses focusing on advanced medical training and kidnapping and detention.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

Type of HEFAT

The 2-day HEFAT Civil Unrest/Active Shooter class is designed for journalists covering civil unrest and other contingencies within the United States. Situational awareness, teamwork including use of spotters and communications, entry and exit routes, line of sight/line of fire, personal protective gear, and protestor, counter-protestor and police dynamics are covered. The instructors include security advisors with extensive experience advising journalists navigating civil unrest, trained military medical instructors, and law enforcement instructors who train riot control police. The course will further include legal issues surrounding police arrests of journalists. The 2-Day course also covers active shooters situations, along with street crime and sexual assault. The course includes basic and intermediate emergency first-aid (to treat head wounds and other traumatic injuries), elements of personal safety and defense, along with tactical stress management.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

The 2-Day HEFAT – Safety Skills/Refresher covers introductory safety skills and first aid. It may be taken alone as an affordable, time-efficient option for trainees not expecting to operate in high-risk environments, and who would only require a limited training certificate to meet duty of care. Or the 2-Day introductory skills course may be taken as a Refresher for those who have taken a 3- to 5-Day Hostile Environments & Emergency First-Aid class within the past three years; Qualified Refresher graduates would receive a certificate valid for 18 months to keep their HEFAT credentials up to date.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

Our best-selling class, this 3-Day course is popular among journalists, NGO workers, and others. The HEFAT Essential Skills class imparts key skills to navigate moderate- to high-risk environments. The curriculum covers emergency first-aid including vehicle accidents and improvised stretchers & carries, situational awareness, weapons & ballistics, risk reduction, travel security, basic digital hygiene, personal safety against street crime, sexual assault & hostile mobs, tactical stress management, ordnance & combat hazards, interrogations & captivity. The 3-Day Essential Skills course is a time- and cost-effective option that meets duty of care and insurance industry standards for most personnel.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

This 3-Day course is designed for high-risk environments where threats like road traffic accidents, robbery, civil unrest, and surveillance are possible and is recommended for NGO workers, human rights monitors, journalists and others. The curriculum covers emergency first aid including vehicle accidents and improvised stretchers & carries, situational awareness, risk reduction, travel security, basic digital hygiene, personal safety against street crime, sexual assault avoidance, active shooter, cover versus concealment, and tactical stress management. The 3-Day High Risk course is a time- and cost-effective option that meets duty of care and insurance industry standards for most personnel operating in high risk areas.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

This 3-Day course is designed for high-risk environments where threats like crossfire, combat, active shooter, and captivity are possible and is recommended for international and frontline journalists, aid workers, and other personnel active in politically unstable areas. The curriculum covers emergency first aid including vehicle accidents and improvised stretchers & carries, concealment and cover, weapons and ballistics, active shooter, risk reduction, travel security, basic digital hygiene, personal safety against street crime, sexual assault avoidance, civil unrest and hostile mobs, ordnance and combat hazards, interrogation and captivity, and tactical stress management. This intensive 3-Day course meets duty of care and insurance industry standards for most personnel operating in high-risk areas.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

This new 3-Day course equips human rights professionals, journalists, NGO workers, and others with key skills to navigate moderate- to high-risk environments, with a special focus on physical and digital surveillance in an urban context. The curriculum covers emergency first-aid including vehicle accidents and improvised stretchers & carries, situational awareness, weapons & ballistics, risk reduction, travel security, basic digital hygiene, personal safety against street crime, sexual assault & hostile mobs, tactical stress management, ordnance & combat hazards, interrogations & captivity, with a third hands-on day focused on surveillance detection and evasion. This course is useful for anyone whose work may take them to countries where government-sponsored or criminal surveillance is commonplace.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

A new class designed exclusively for NGOs and other development professionals, the 4-Day HEFAT – Humanitarian Security course will cover key humanitarian field challenges ranging from checkpoints and travel safety to burnout, emotional self-care, and sexual assault avoidance. This course includes modules from our best-selling 3-Day HEFAT course with added topics on logistical security and communications focused on the unique risks facing NGO workers plus an additional day for hands-on practice and scenario-based training.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

The newest addition to our course roster, the 4-Day Expanded Skills class builds upon the above Essential Skills course, but provides more opportunities for practicing both survival techniques and emergency first-aid under stressful or siege conditions. The course modules include navigating civil unrest and chest-compression CPR, in addition to emergency first-aid including vehicle accidents and improvised stretchers & carries, situational awareness, weapons & ballistics, risk reduction, travel security, basic digital hygiene, personal safety against street crime, sexual assault & hostile mobs, tactical stress management, ordnance & combat hazards, interrogations & captivity. The 4-Day course, like the two 5-Day courses below, meets industry standards for personnel working in high-risk environments.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

An intensive, emergency medical-oriented course, our 5-Day HEFAT Tactical Casualty Care class prepares trainees for high-risk hostile environments and includes advanced medical training for major trauma including combat casualties and terrorist attacks. The curriculum covers risk assessment & planning, situational awareness, improvised stretchers & carries, weapons & ballistics, travel security, basic digital hygiene, personal safety, sexual assault & hostile mobs, tactical stress management, ordnance & combat hazards, interrogations & captivity, checkpoints, IEDs & terrorist attacks. Trainers include combat medics and instructors in Tactical Combat Casualty Care. The 5-Day Tactical Casualty Care course meets industry standards for personnel operating in high-risk environments.  Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

A demanding class, this 5-Day course prepares conflict reporters, humanitarians and diplomats for high-risk environments including but not limited to the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, South-Central Asia and the Philippines. The course emphasizes risk assessment and planning to help trainees evaluate threats and avoid hazards. Special instruction is provided in reading body language and baselining people to better navigate situations. Trainees learn how their own online profiles may be exploited during interrogations as they also learn techniques to survive captivity. The cultivation of tactical stress resilience to endure traumatic experiences is another unique aspect of this course. Other subjects include: emergency first-aid, vehicle accident protocols; improvised stretchers & carries; weapons & ballistics; personal safety against assault and hostile mobs; navigating checkpoints; IEDs, booby-traps & landmines; ordnance & combat hazards. The 5-Day Conflict, Captivity, Resilience course meets industry standards for personnel operating in high-risk environments. Read more about our HEFAT course offerings on our booking page.

As the first major HEFAT provider to incorporate sexual assault awareness into our curriculum, GJS believes a proactive and candid approach to sexual risk is essential in any security training.

We employ former rape crisis counselors, mental health experts, and personal safety trainers to facilitate an open and honest environment that supports hands-on training in sexual assault avoidance.

All our HEFAT courses include a sexual assault avoidance component and we can offer additional, in-depth coursework upon request. Read more about the thinking behind our sexual assault avoidance training.

GJS pioneered the concept of incorporating emotional self-care curricula into our HEFAT training programs, including modules on resiliency, stress release, and coping with trauma.

We work closely with leading experts in the fields of trauma and self-care to ensure that our training teaches widely recognized and supported methods for psychological support in the face of stress.

Each of our HEFAT courses incorporates elements of emotional self-care and support, and all participants are able to access counseling support immediately after completing their training. Read more about the philosophy behind why we do this.

To meet a pressing need for additional digital safety skills amongst reporters and NGO professionals, GJS works with leading digital safety and Internet freedom experts to conduct annual digital safety workshops, as well as customized small group sessions for newsrooms, activists, NGOs, and international organizations in the legal and diplomatic fields. We also incorporate an additional digital safety module into all of our HEFAT training courses. Our digital safety training incorporates both basic digital hygiene and more sophisticated curriculum on encryption, anonymous usage, and data security.

GJS offers three distinct digital safety training programs for journalists and newsrooms, NGOs and human rights advocates, and members of the legal profession.

In each course, our veteran digital safety instructors tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of your profession, your level of risk, and your needs and interests.

Learn more about each program below:

For today’s newsrooms, digital safety is no longer an option.

Commit just two hours per workshop and learn practical, essential digital skills to communicate with sources, keep information safe, and handle newsworthy scoops.

Get started with our introductory workshop, taught by a personable, experienced trainer who doesn’t speak tech jargon—then move up to more advanced topics depending upon your unique needs.

From basic digital hygiene to advanced national security reporting, we have a workshop for skill sets, specialties, and beats across the newsroom.

  • Learn critical techniques like threat modeling, avoiding phishing attacks, and the principles of encryption, along with hands-on practice.
  • Learn in your newsroom at times that are convenient to you, whether that’s a lunch break or a half-day seminar.
  • Gain valuable certifications for each level you complete, demonstrating your proficiency in a competitive field.

Find out how you can get started below.

This level features a brief overview of how the Internet works, including basic steps to stay safe. We also discuss the essentials of threat modeling, myths and misconceptions about digital safety, and an introduction to common tools such as password managers. An important first course for anyone working in a newsroom.

Who is this level for?

  • Any reporter in a newsroom
  • Editors working in a hands-on capacity with reporters
  • Newsroom managers and higher-level editors overseeing stories

What will I learn during this level?

  • How the Internet works
  • Basic “low-hanging fruit” steps to stay safe online
  • The principles of threat modeling as applied to digital safety
  • Common misconceptions about digital safety

What practical skills will I gain after taking this level?

  • Using a password manager
  • Assessing and creating a threat model
  • Optimizing your computer and online accounts for safety
  • Understanding and avoiding phishing attacks
Duration 1 hour 45 minutes
Location Custom
Prerequisites An interest in digital safety. No prior experience necessary.
Class Size Up to 24 participants

Interested in booking this course?. Contact us.

This level takes digital safety a step further by reviewing precautions like two-factor authentication and other ways to secure your ongoing research, including working securely within an Intranet and other internal systems. Additionally, we explore ways to collaborate safely with fellow reporters and work with colleagues who aren’t trained in digital safety practices.

Who is this level for?

  • Any reporter in a newsroom
  • Editors working in a hands-on capacity with reporters
  • Newsroom managers and higher-level editors overseeing stories

What will I learn during this level?

  • Secure use of search engines for research
  • The theory of compartmentalization as applied to digital safety
  • Use of adblockers for privacy and safety
  • Principles of secure browsing

What practical skills will I gain after taking this level?

  • Using a VPN
  • Deploying adblockers
  • Using a compartmentalization strategy
  • Conducting safe Internet research

Additional Details:

Duration 2 hours
Location Custom
Prerequisites Complete Level 1 or enroll with instructor’s permission.
Class Size Up to 16 participants

Interested in booking this course?. Contact us.

In this level, we cover “first contact” principles for reaching out and establishing communication with sources securely, including training your sources to use secure technology and how to communicate safely even on tight deadlines. We also discuss ways to secure your own communications and even meet face-to-face with sources safely.

Who is this level for?

  • Any reporter in a newsroom
  • Editors working in a hands-on capacity with reporters
  • Newsroom managers and higher-level editors overseeing stories

What will I learn during this level?

  • Best practices for phone use
  • The concepts behind encryption and its safe use
  • Encrypted communications for your digital devices
  • How to train sources in safety principles

What practical skills will I gain after taking this level?

  • Using your phone securely
  • How and why to encrypt phone calls and text messages
  • How and why to encrypt emails
  • How to chat securely with encryption

Additional Details:

Duration 2 hours
Location Custom
Prerequisites Complete Level 2 or enroll with instructor’s permission.
Class Size Up to 12 participants

Interested in booking this course?. Contact us.

This level trains reporters to encrypt their devices and secure their data when reporting in the field, including dealing with law enforcement search and seizure of digital equipment. This course is a must for any reporter working on the road covering a sensitive story.

Who is this level for?

  • Any reporter in a newsroom
  • Editors working in a hands-on capacity with reporters
  • Newsroom managers and higher-level editors overseeing stories

What will I learn during this level?

  • Basics of encrypted hard drives and devices
  • Safely using cloud storage
  • Preserving data offline
  • Using alternate devices while traveling

What practical skills will I gain after taking this level?

  • How and why to encrypt a laptop or smartphone
  • Safely using a “burner” phone to contact sources
  • Storing data securely on the cloud
  • Keeping devices safe on the road

Additional Details:

Duration 2 hours
Location Custom
Prerequisites Complete Level 3 or enroll with instructor’s permission.
Class Size To be determined based on enrollment

Interested in booking this course?. Contact us.

We discuss ways for journalists to cope with threats specific to an international environment, including crossing borders with electronic devices, securing devices while overseas, and staying aware of travel safety and surveillance risks.

Who is this level for?

  • Reporters currently on an overseas assignment, or preparing to depart
  • Editors working in a hands-on capacity with foreign-based reporters
  • Newsroom managers and higher-level editors overseeing international stories

What will I learn during this level?

  • Best practices for crossing borders and checkpoints
  • Awareness and avoidance of surveillance threats
  • Key principles of hotel and travel safety
  • Selecting appropriate devices for international assignments

What practical skills will I gain after taking this level?

  • Understanding and crossing checkpoints and borders
  • Using strong passcodes and travel-specific devices
  • Recognizing and avoiding surveillance
  • Avoiding common hotel safety flaws

Additional Details:

Duration 2 hours
Location Custom
Prerequisites Complete Level 4 or enroll with instructor’s permission.
Class Size To be determined based on enrollment

Interested in booking this course?. Contact us.

In this level, we help prepare reporters to cover the highest level of national security stories, including managing leaked information, keeping whistleblowers safe, and communicating and sharing documents securely with journalists working overseas. We also explore the use of anonymous document drops for submitting leaked information, as well as secure operating systems.

Who is this level for?

  • Reporters covering national security stories
  • Editors working in a hands-on capacity with national security reporters
  • Newsroom managers and higher-level editors overseeing national security stories

What will I learn during this level?

  • Best practices for managing leaked information securely
  • Digital safety steps to keep whistleblowers safe
  • Securely sharing information with colleagues
  • Managing anonymous submissions from whistleblowers

What practical skills will I gain after taking this level?

  • Understanding and utilizing secure document submission systems like SecureDrop
  • Deploying secure operating systems like Tails
  • Using safety tools when communicating with whistleblowers
  • Sharing documents with colleagues worldwide

Additional Details:

Duration 2 hours
Location Custom
Prerequisites Complete Level 5 or enroll with instructor’s permission.
Class Size To be determined based on enrollment

Interested in booking this course?. Contact us.

During our seventh and highest level, we explore a variety of tools from the digital safety world that journalists can incorporate into their practice, including drone usage, basic hacking tools for investigative reporting, and beginning to understand the challenges inherent in attribution and accountability of digital information.

Who is this level for?

  • Investigative reporters, data journalists, and other digitally-proficient journalists
  • Editors working in a hands-on capacity with investigative stories
  • Newsroom managers and higher-level editors overseeing investigative stories

What will I learn during this level?

  • Using drones as a reporting tool
  • Utilizing digital safety principles for investigative reporting
  • Understanding and interpreting technical data
  • Introduction to authenticating digital information, including reported hacking

What practical skills will I gain after taking this level?

  • Flying and reporting with a drone
  • Interpreting server logs and other technical datasets
  • Understanding the inherent difficulties in authenticating digital information
  • Verifying and authenticating reported security breaches and hacks

Additional Details:

Duration 2 hours
Location Custom
Prerequisites Complete Level 6 or enroll with instructor’s permission.
Class Size To be determined based on enrollment

Interested in booking this course?. Contact us.

Depending upon their size, needs, or desired curriculum, organizations often find organizing custom courses to be the easiest way to train and prepare their staff for assignments.

GJS offers all our standard courses in private settings, and can also create customized course material based upon a team’s particular needs or composition. We conduct custom classes both in our Washington, DC training facility as well as locations around the world depending upon client preferences and availability.

Custom classes can also be priced competitively based on number of attendees, location, and desired topics.

CURRICULUM

Designed in collaboration with international medical professionals and the Boston-based NGO The Ground Truth Project as part of an effort to prepare journalists & NGO workers to navigate the risks of climate change and related contingencies, the two-day workshop covers infectious diseases like Dengue Fever, environmental hazards like heat stroke, and natural disasters like earthquakes, along with street crime, mobs and random violence, as well as basic emergency first aid for various contingencies. Instructors include qualified EMTs experienced in extreme environments, & top infectious disease & disaster experts. See the video of this course here: https://vimeo.com/139122286. Interested in this course? Contact us for more information.

Designed in collaboration with Certified Wildfire Firefighter Instructors, the three-Day WAFAT course would incorporate two days of wildfire behavior awareness and fire shelter training, and a third day focusing on emergency first aid including burns, heat stroke, and dehydration, and use improvised stretchers and carries. Risk assessment, contingency planning and emergency communications are also integral to the course. Interested in this course?. Contact us for more information.

Designed in collaboration with Certified Wildfire Firefighter Instructors, the three-Day WAFAT course would incorporate two days of wildfire behavior awareness and fire shelter training, and a third day focusing on emergency first aid including burns, heat stroke, and dehydration, and use improvised stretchers and carries. Risk assessment, contingency planning and emergency communications are also integral to the course. Interested in this course?. Contact us for more information.

Designed in collaboration with Certified Wildfire Firefighter Instructors, the three-Day WAFAT course would incorporate two days of wildfire behavior awareness and fire shelter training, and a third day focusing on emergency first aid including burns, heat stroke, and dehydration, and use improvised stretchers and carries. Risk assessment, contingency planning and emergency communications are also integral to the course. Interested in this course?. Contact us for more information.

Photojournalists, camera crews & videographers increasingly find themselves besieged during protests in the United States and other nations. Whether they are caught in the melee, attacked by protestors, or arrested by police who also may attempt to confiscate their equipment or illegally delete their images or footage. We uniquely bring in experienced photojournalists and videographers, reserve police officers and technologists to cover matters from line-of-site safe positioning, to uploading or storing and concealing images and footage to avoid erasure or confiscation. Interested in this course?. Contact us for more information.

NGOs and media organizations must be prepared to respond to kidnappings and other crisis contingencies involving personnel. This one day workshop reviews risk assessments as well as proof-of-life protocols prior to field deployment, communication check-in methods & procedures, and emergency response options. The morning half of the class involves classroom presentation and discussion. The afternoon involves real-time scenario-based training involving up to a dozen professional actors assuming roles from distraught and feuding relatives, spouses, friends, colleagues, journalists from different outlets with different agendas, diplomats from Western and other relative nations, and kidnappers and terrorists. Interested in this course?.  Contact us for more information.

The course is led by Dr. Dan Hanfling, a biosecurity expert who is currently advising the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Hospital Preparedness Program effort for the Ebola crisis. The half-day workshop will focus on getting past the hysteria currently surrounding the crisis and focus instead on the biology of the disease and how it is actually spread. The course will include simulation exercises with actors and benign but detectable agents to help journalists and others learn how to avoid infection. Interested in this course?. Contact us for more information.

Integrated situational awareness skills interweaving physical and digital security is the focus of this 3-Day course. Oriented toward health, development and conflict resolution professionals, the HEAT class combines classroom presentation with applied exercises to help overseas professionals navigate checkpoints and interrogations, and learn how to minimize risk in terrorist and targeted environments. Recommended for individuals who already have emergency first-aid training, as the 3-Day HEAT is focused exclusively on integrated security awareness and risk reduction. Interested in this course?. Contact us for more information.

Have additional questions? Please see our Frequently Asked Questions section for details.

What was once an isolated incident has tragically become a monthly reality in the United States, as mass shooters have begun to target workplaces and public gathering places.

GJS provides active shooter awareness training for organizations of all sizes, including journalists reporting on shootings and teams trapped in a shooting situation.

We utilize the latest law enforcement guidelines in our curriculum, as well as hands-on demonstrations and roleplaying to experience firsthand how to protect yourself and others.

Additionally, we offer active shooter training both at our Washington, DC training facility and in company offices and headquarters buildings.

 

The kidnapping or hostage-taking of a colleague during an assignment can be a major challenge for any organization no matter their size.

GJS works with teams of all sizes to simulate a kidnapping situation, from distraught family members to captors to government and diplomatic personnel who may become involved.

We also evaluate current policies and contingency plans and ensure that team leaders are fully prepared to put plans into action in the event of an emergency.

We offer this training both at our Washington, DC facility and in the offices and facilities of our clients.

 

Journalists and humanitarian professionals often find themselves caught in situations of civil unrest, whether covering protests or mob violence or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

To help prepare teams to operate safely in these situations, GJS runs complete scenarios of mob violence, protest scenes, and law enforcement crackdowns on large groups, both at our Washington, DC facility and at locations around the world.

We cover appropriate positioning, working as a team, keeping your equipment and valuables safe, and staying aware against opportunists and sexual aggressors.

In the face of global disease threats and dangers associated with extreme weather and natural disasters, GJS works with experienced emergency response and public health experts to prepare humanitarian and media teams operating in potentially hazardous conditions.

At our Washington, DC training facility and in the field, we review principles of disease transmission, basic first aid and casualty care, and risks associated with natural disasters, including flooding, fires, and civic disorder and breakdown.

Our training has been used by organizations including the GroundTruth Project, which sends reporters to cover the threats associated with climate change worldwide.

For many humanitarian professionals and journalists, witnessing trauma, either firsthand or through eyewitness testimony, is part of their job.

But developing relationships with trauma sufferers—or suffering yourself—can take a toll on your emotional well-being and sense of self.

Because learning practical and easy-to-use coping mechanisms can make a serious difference in dealing with trauma, GJS offers a one-day workshop with practical knowledge and effective skills to maintain emotional well-being both now and in the future.