using technology to enhance your health, safety and crisis management planning for international...

"Using Technology to Enhance Your

Health, Safety and Crisis Management

Planning for International Travelers"

October 30, 2015

2

Speakers

Matthew Bradley,

Regional Security Director, Americas,

International SOS and Control Risks

Ray Lagasse,

Director of International Programs,

University of North Dakota

© 2015 AEA International Holdings Pte. Ltd. For

permission to reprint contact International SOS.

3

Why Mitigate Travel Risks

Member

Duty of

Loyalty

Organization

Duty of Care

Individuals and organizations

have legal obligations to act

toward others and the public in

a prudent and cautious manner

to avoid the risk of reasonable

foreseeable injury to others.

Organizations who fail to pay

attention to duty of care

responsibilities, especially for

their members crossing

borders, are failing in their

commercial, fiduciary, legal,

moral and social

responsibilities.

Source: 2011 “Duty of Care and Travel Risk

Management Global Benchmarking Study” written by

Lisbeth Claus, Ph.D, SPHR, GPHR, Professor of Global

HR, Atkinson Graduate School of Management of

Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

It’s the right thing to do



5

How Mature Is Your TRM Program



6

Where Are You On The Continuum?



The University of North Dakota Story

March 2011• 4 UND students were

studying in Japan at

Utsunomiya University

UND - Japan

• Utsunomiya is

about 125 KM north

of Tokyo, 175 km

south of Fukushima

• Students were on a break

between semesters; all had

started in the Fall 2010 and

planned to continue through

Spring 2011 at Utsunomiya

University.

• On March 11, 2011, a

magnitude-9 earthquake

shook northeastern Japan,

unleashing a savage

tsunami.

UND - Japan

UND - Japan

• Phone calls – parents,

then students

• Phone calls – Provost,

University Relations,

Office of Safety, Ed.

Abroad Advisors, EA

Insurance company

…quiet,

modern city

UND - Norway

Friday, July 22, 2011

UND - Norway

UND - Norway

• On vacation, received a call from the office

• Two terrorist attacks in Oslo, Norway - 77 lives claimed by a loan

gunman

• 6 UND students studying at the University of Oslo, International Summer

School

• Phone calls – Provost, University Relations, Office of Safety, Ed.

Abroad Advisors, EA Insurance company

• Contact with faculty in Norway

UND - Norway

We had in place:

• Study Abroad Insurance (required) had been in place for a

number of years

• Comprehensive Emergency/Security Evacuation rider included

• Study Abroad Emergency Management process was being

finalized

• Included policy and procedures for:

• Travel warnings, travel alerts, incident notification, program cancelations,

student death, program director death, emergency notification protocol

The UND story

The UND story

We learned:

• Comprehensive Emergency/Security Evacuation rider on the Study

Abroad Insurance was not activated until a national state of

emergency was declared.

• An advocate with the insurance company is crucial.

• Direct and personal experience in a country abroad is immediately

nullified in an emergency or crisis situation.

• Effective and timely communication with students is very difficult

internationally.

The UND story

We learned:

• Managing multiple stakeholders (students, parents, administrators,

press, safety office, university relations) is very difficult in an

emergency or crisis situation.

• Faculty or university personnel traveling in countries affected should

not be utilized for crisis management; that is not their role to play;

perhaps a resource or a consult.

• An emergency management plan and process/protocol is essential,

and very helpful.

• Fall 2011, UND Education Abroad began exploring

options for international emergency management.

• For two years explored options and engaged in

conversations with vendors.

• Fall 2014, signed an agreement with International SOS.

The UND story

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What Does TRM Look Like?

• Situational awareness briefing for Program Manager and Department

leadership (Executive sponsors)

• Security and medical briefing for trip leaders

• eLearning on security and medical risks for all program participants

• Risk assessment of housing and ground transportation options

• Itinerary specific travel briefing for each group prior to travel

• Post trip debrief if there were any incidents



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Technology and TRM

• Traveler Tracking – Itinerary-specific tracking helps you quickly identify

your exposure when urgent situations arise

• Mobile App – Medical and Travel Security information at your fingertips;

One touch dials your nearest Assistance Center or use Tele-Assistance to

chat real time with medical and security professionals

• Mobile Check-in – Travelers can tell you where they are with the click of a

button

• Active Monitoring – Use cellular networks or GPS satellites to monitor

your travelers in High and Extreme risk countries

• Dedicated Communications Portal – Integrate your internal TRM

resources with Medical and Travel Security information so travelers find

everything they need in one place



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Traveler Tracking

• A plane runs off the end of the runway at La Guardia – Did you have a

traveler on the flight?

• An active shooter enters the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris – How close

is your remote campus to the location of the shooting?

• Hurricane Odile closes the airport in the Baja Peninsula in Mexico – How

many travelers do you have arriving in the next week?

• An earthquake strikes Nepal and you want to evacuate your travelers –

Can you send them a “confirm status” text?



22

Mobile Check-in and Tele-Assistance

• A group of students is studying in Buenos Aires

• They decide to go to Recoleta for a night on the town

• Mobile check-in allows them to mark when they leave their house

• They put a second pin in the map when they arrive at the restaurant

• Pins show up all over the map as the pub crawl continues

• After a long night of camaraderie, one of the group feels sick

• The TeleAssistance App allows the student to chat with a doctor who

recommends a remedy for gastrointestinal distress and a coordinator

provides the location of the nearest pharmacy



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Active Monitoring

• An archeology professor and two graduate students are going on their

summer dig in Iraq

• Active Monitoring can track them even in the middle of the desert where

there are no cellular networks

• Check-in calls can be pre-arranged when leaving from and returning to

base camp so you know they are out of harm’s way

• Customized ops procedures can be implemented if the traveler signals

distress or misses a check-in call



• Protect and preserve life

• Preserve condition and prevent damage to college assets

• Maintain and preserve university reputation

• Protect the environment

Crisis Simulation Scenario | The Intent



1. Immediate Response

2. Develop Plan of Action

3. Plan for Contingencies

4. Communicate and Consult

5. Recover and Review

Immediate Response

Develop Plan of Action

Plan for Contingencies

Communicate & Consult

Recover & Review

Crisis Simulation Scenario | Crisis

Overview



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Crisis Scenario: Stimulus #1

There have been a series of coordinated terrorist attacks in major Spanish

cities attributed to an extremist wing of the Basque separatist group ETA

There are multiple deaths and hundreds of injured

The situation is on-going and Spanish authorities have raised the terrorist

threat level



In spite of the threat, pro-peace demonstrations ensue all across the

country

Pro-ETA supporters clash with some of the pro-peace demonstrators in

Barcelona

The airports are open

The university has identified 15 travelers and one expatriate





A second wave of attacks in smaller Spanish cities leaves more dead and

wounded in its wake

International SOS recommends evacuation for scholastic clients on

commercial airlines




The 15 university travelers depart on commercial aircraft

The lone expatriate wants to stay

Spanish police deactivate a bomb in the Barcelona airport

A third wave of bombs goes off in more Spanish cities

The Spanish government imposes a 24/7 curfew and Spanish airports close




Three high school students are located in Pamplona

One of the students was injured in the second wave of attacks and is

receiving treatment in a local hospital filled with other survivors

The student is stable but needs surgery that cannot be done in the local

hospital

The 24/7 curfew is still in effect



Your Exposure:

• Communication with travelers, emergency contacts, scholastic community,

media

• Emotional support to travelers

• Where are we taking the students? Closest safe haven or back to U.S.

• Access to money – quick!

• Housing the students that return to campus

• Academic matters, completing coursework, earning credits, getting grades

• Financial aid and tuition

• Reputation of the school and response

Crisis Scenario: Exposure



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An 8.6 magnitude earthquake strikes Rancagua, Chile, a suburb of Santiago

with early reports showing widespread damage in the capital city



The University identifies two faculty members at the Ritz-Carlton in the

Providencia neighborhood of Santiago

The cell phone network is overwhelmed

Ritz-Carlton customer service says the hotel is damaged but still standing

The city’s hotels are full for an international robotics conference





The Arturo Merino Benito Airport is closed

One traveler sends a text message confirming he is ok but can’t stay at the

hotel

The second traveler has not responded to calls or messages




The first traveler reports via text he has located the second traveler who is

at the Clinica Las Condes suffering from chest pains

The airport reopens only to relief flights

The road from northern Chile to Santiago is open



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A group of 12 high school students with two graduate students and one faculty

member went to the Galapagos Islands for a spring break trip

They spent the weekend after the trip in Quito, Ecuador, with their return flight

to the United States on Monday



The group decides to take a day hike to climb a nearby volcano

A small tremor rocks the volcano causing mudslides that block the return path

from the mountain

Heavy rains start to fall making helicopter rescue impossible for the night

The group has some food and water but no shelter to stay on the mountain





One of the travelers has a headache from altitude sickness

Two other travelers show signs of anxiety and are having panic attacks

The faculty member will run out of blood pressure medication in two days




The next day three of the students develop a rash

The Ecuadorian Army clears the trail but only hikers can pass

Clouds keep helicopters out of the sky

The trail is clear but four of the travelers are too weak to walk down



• Is there anything we should have done to

date?

• What should we do in response?

Crisis Scenario: Status Check



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10 Best Practices

• Increase awareness

• Plan with key stakeholders

• Expand policies and procedures

• Track travelers at all times

• Communicate, educate and train

• Assess risk prior to every trip

• Implement a traveler emergency response system

• Implement additional management controls

• Practice, practice, practice

• Conduct due diligence

Source: 2011 “Duty of Care and Travel Risk Management Global

Benchmarking Study” written by Lisbeth Claus, Ph.D, SPHR, GPHR, Professor

of Global HR, Atkinson Graduate School of Management of Willamette

University in Salem, Oregon.



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Q&A

