When I started in Executive Protection I didn’t quite know what I was getting into. I had taken a course that taught me the fundamentals. Unfortunately, it didn’t truly prepare me for all the different ways I would have to apply them. One of the first significant missions I went on was after a major Natural Disaster. It was one of the disasters that the media reports as “once in a hundred years”. It was truly devastating to many people in our community.
The Challenge
Now you might be thinking, well the common practice for a Natural Disaster is to get to a safe place. Which is what most people did. However, my VIP played a specific role in the disaster. They were a prominent public figure, with significant responsibility in the aftermath. They would need to help the community recover and put measures in place to be better protected for the future. The VIP also had to be seen as actively assessing the damage and working effectively. This meant we weren’t evacuating, we were going in it.
Past Experience
For me, I was quite lucky to be involved in this type of protective mission. While my experience in Executive Protection was limited, I was not new to protection. I was fortunate to have significant experience with natural disasters from the Military. I was also working with some amazing people on an awesome team. The kind of people who knew exactly what to do and how to do it. This was the best resource I could ask for.
Despite all my previous experience in the Military and Law Enforcement, the role of Executive Protection is quite different. There was no specific training course for EP in natural disasters, nor was it covered in my fundamentals course. Having access to seasoned professionals and learning from their experience was critical.
More Experience
For this operation, I felt I was somewhat prepared, but was also a bit lucky. I’ve heard a saying before that goes “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good”. In this case, my foundation was good and I think I was a bit lucky. The experience also prepared me well for future operations. Which created the catalyst for the pendulum to swing from lucky to good, or even excellent. For nearly the next decade, at least once or twice a year, I would be actively providing Executive Protection in a natural disaster.
As I gained more experience, my role went from participant to planner, trainer and mentor. I was able to put past experience and training to work. This allowed me to help our team apply Executive Protection fundamentals to the intricacies of Natural Disaster Operations. Unfortunately, without training you and your team must rely on your own knowledge and experiences. If your grasp of Executive Protection is sound and your past experiences are robust, you might be ok. Unfortunately, might be ok isn’t good enough for me and shouldn’t be for you.
Shared Fundamental Applications
I help a lot of people in Executive Protection. I rely on my knowledge, training and experience as well as listening to the industry. I work to build effective solutions to real problems. When I started out I had to rely on my background and my team. However, I do not feel that is always the best solution as it leaves too much to chance. Especially when the risk is high like it is with Natural Disasters. This is why I spent so much time learning new things.
This is also one of the main reasons I built a micro-course on Executive Protection Operations in Natural Disasters. It’s meant to help you plan, prepare and conduct your duties to protect VIPs in different types of disasters. It takes into account the different types of VIPs and the activities they may conduct. It also focuses on the different types of disasters you may experience, at home or abroad. The intent of the course is to help you take what you know about Executive or Close Protection and apply it to the varied conditions of Natural Disasters.
Quality Training Equals Thought-Provoking Excellence
A word or warning though. If you are looking for a course that is going to take away independent thought or spoon-feed you all the answers, this course is not for you. This course is meant to inspire you and engage the neurons in your brain so that you can put it into practice based on your situation.
If you want to be better empowered and prepared on this topic, I highly recommend you check out this course. It only takes about 2 hours to complete in a self-paced online format. While the investment is minimal, the potential for results is extensive.
Ensure You Have a Fundamental Baseline
If you do not have any formal training in Executive Protection, or Close Protection some of the concepts in this course may require more knowledge. That’s ok because our online Close Protection Site Liaison course will provide you with those fundamentals.
Some training providers use it as a prerequisite for their in-person courses.
Many people have used it to help enter the industry or gain a different perspective.
