Healix’s four-day Hostile Environment Awareness Training course combines security training, medical and first-aid training, remote-operations planning and realistic practical assessments.

Led by instructors with frontline security, military, medical and risk-management experience, the course helps participants make safer, more confident decisions under pressure.

Duration: Four full days
Format: Instructor-led small group learning, practical exercises and assessed scenarios
Locations: United Kingdom (near London), Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Kenya
Certification: CPD-certified course
Suitable for: NGO, humanitarian, media, corporate, security and expedition personnel

What is Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT)?

Hostile Environment Awareness Training, commonly known as HEAT, prepares people to work and travel more safely in hostile, remote, conflict-affected and other high-risk environments.

The training brings together personal security, threat awareness, medical response, communications, journey planning and decision-making under pressure. Participants learn how to reduce their exposure to foreseeable risks and how to respond if an incident occurs.

Classroom learning is reinforced through exercises, team planning and realistic scenarios in which participants must apply their security, first-aid and casualty-management skills.

Key skills

What will I learn?

Assess threats and make practical security decisions

Plan safer travel, accommodation and communications

Respond to checkpoints, civil unrest and other security incidents

Provide first aid when medical support may be delayed

Manage vehicles, local drivers and journey risks

Communicate and work effectively during a crisis

Balance casualty care with the safety of the wider team

Apply your skills confidently under pressure

Core curriculum

What is covered?

Day 1: High-risk security training

Personal security, threat and risk assessment, travel preparation, terrorism, weapons, mines and unexploded ordnance, civil unrest, checkpoints, accommodation security, communications and incident response.
Day 2: Medical and first-aid training

Patient assessment, CPR and AED use, airway management, major bleeding, shock, chest injuries, fractures, spinal considerations, sepsis and environmental illness, supported by practical casualty-care exercises.
Day 3: Practical training and assessment

A full day of immersive team exercises that bring together security awareness, first aid, casualty management, journey planning, communication and decision-making under pressure. Scenarios may include civil unrest, checkpoints, remote medical emergencies, detention, road-traffic incidents and casualty extraction.
Day 4: Remote and austere operations

Pre-deployment health, communications, navigation, GPS and tracking, operational security, kidnap and ransom awareness, mental-health awareness, vehicle safety, local-driver management, road-traffic incidents, disaster response and team planning.

What do previous participants think?

Extremely valuable due to how engaging it was

The engaging discussions and realistic practical exercises brought the learning to life. I left the course feeling much more prepared and confident, with practical tools and a deeper understanding of how to manage risks when working in hostile environments.
Information Security Engineer Human Rights NGO
I wholeheartedly recommend to any security professionals

The instructors’ expertise and real-world experience were exceptional. Combined with realistic, hands-on scenarios, the course strengthened my ability to make sound decisions under pressure while maintaining awareness of wider threats, casualty management and overall team safety
Director of Project Operations & Volunteer Engagement Global Response Medicine
The instructors, content and practical exercises were all top quality

The realistic, high-pressure exercises were where the learning truly came to life. They allowed me to test my response, learn from mistakes in a safe environment and build the skills and confidence needed to support teams operating in hostile or conflict-affected regions
Senior Programme Officer David Nott Foundation

Choose the right HEAT training format

Scheduled HEAT courses

Scheduled four-day HEAT courses are available to individual delegates and organisations requiring a smaller number of places. Each course follows the same core programme, combining security, medical and remote-operations training with a full day of practical exercises and assessment.

See upcoming course dates
HEAT courses for organisations

Organisations can commission a course for a dedicated group. This greater flexibility over course dates, delivery location and delegate numbers. Healix can deliver the core HEAT programme or tailor the content to your people, destinations, operating environment, procedures and risk profile. Organisations can request specialist modules covering regional risks, advanced medical training, maritime safety, crisis response, security management and drone capability awareness. This type of training can be delivered in the UK and internationally, subject to requirements and instructor availability.

Discuss for your organisation

Frequently asked questions

A hostile environment is any location where security, political, environmental, health or infrastructure conditions create an increased risk to people working or travelling there.
This can include conflict-affected areas, but it may also cover locations experiencing civil unrest, terrorism, kidnapping, serious crime, natural disasters, remote terrain, weak infrastructure or limited access to medical assistance.
The course is designed for personnel operating in high to extreme-risk, hostile, remote or complex environments.
It is particularly relevant to NGOs, humanitarian organisations, journalists, media teams, corporate travellers, project personnel, security professionals, expedition teams and organisations with duty-of-care obligations in higher-risk regions.
No. Previous security, medical or first-aid experience is not required.
The course introduces the essential principles before helping participants apply them through group activities and practical scenarios.
If you have already completed HEAT or equivalent safety training, the course can also help you refresh your knowledge, practise your response and strengthen your ability to make decisions under pressure.
Yes. The course includes practical exercises throughout, followed by a full day of immersive training and assessment.
Participants work in teams to respond to realistic security, medical and journey-related incidents. Scenarios may include a remote medical emergency, checkpoint, civil unrest, detention, road-traffic incident or casualty extraction. Each exercise is followed by instructor feedback and a structured debrief.

The course includes outdoor exercises and realistic practical scenarios, but it is designed to be accessible to a wide range of participants.
If you have a disability, health condition, injury or specific requirement that may affect your participation, contact the Healix team before booking. We will discuss reasonable adjustments and help you understand the activities involved.
Yes. Healix Hostile Environment Awareness Training is a CPD-certified course.
Participants receive a certificate of completion for their professional-development records after completing the programme. If you are attending to meet an employer, client or insurer requirement, check whether they specify particular course content, assessment or refresher requirements.
Prices, applicable taxes and inclusions will be shown for each scheduled course when booking opens.
Organisational courses are priced according to the location, number of delegates, delivery requirements and any specialist modules requested.
Eligible Healix clients may receive a 10% discount on training services.

What is Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT)?

What will I learn?

Assess threats and make practical security decisions

Plan safer travel, accommodation and communications

Respond to checkpoints, civil unrest and other security incidents

Provide first aid when medical support may be delayed

Manage vehicles, local drivers and journey risks

Communicate and work effectively during a crisis

Balance casualty care with the safety of the wider team

Apply your skills confidently under pressure

What is covered?

Day 1: High-risk security training

Day 2: Medical and first-aid training

Day 3: Practical training and assessment

Day 4: Remote and austere operations

Extremely valuable due to how engaging it was

I wholeheartedly recommend to any security professionals

The instructors, content and practical exercises were all top quality

Choose the right HEAT training format

Scheduled HEAT courses

HEAT courses for organisations

Frequently asked questions

What is considered a hostile or high-risk environment?

Who is the course for?

Do I need previous experience?

Does the course include practical assessments?

Is the course physically demanding?

Is the HEAT course certified or accredited?

How much does hostile environment training cost?