Published: Sunday, 24th August, 2008 8:00am

Aid workers trained at gun point

by Jonathan Kelly

Training: Members of a relief agency take part in a training day to deal with real-life situations they could face when working in danger zones.

EXPLOSIONS and gunfire rang out across a usually peaceful college campus as a personal security training course stormed in.

Staff from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), an independent humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church descended on Newbold College, Binfield for their potentially life-saving training.

The course saw the participants forced into realistic situations where individually and as teams they were made to think on their feet for their own and their team's safety.

Berit Lisle, Newbold College Bursar, said: "The college has a long association with ADRA and we were more than happy to facilitate training that will protect ADRA personnel as they carry out their humanitarian programme in some of the more dangerous parts of the world."

The exercises, including a security checkpoint, a car-jacking and armed militia were the end of a four days of training for headquarters staff who regularly travel overseas to manage development and relief projects.

Ben Smit, ADRA UK director, said: "From experience we know that learning how to keep secure in different situations we may be facing is important."

The course was run by RedR, an agency that specialises in providing security training to humanitarian agencies who explained the skills of self-preservation from being picked up at an airport, through dealing with checkpoints, minefields and crossfire to dealing with hostage negotiations.

Mr Smit added: "It has made the participants aware that in all situations one's own safety matters most. Even though we were, for instance, introduced to mines and how to react when under fire, the most important lesson was to make sure you never face such a situation. Preparedness and anticipation are key to travelling safely."

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