bout de papier, Vol. 26, No. 3 (2012) — Spring 2012 // Printemps 2012, p. 36
HOW TO AVOID BEING KILLED
IN A WAR ZONE: THE ESSENTIAL
SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR
DANGEROUS PLACES, by Rosie
HOW TO AVOID BEING KILLED IN A WAR ZONE: THE ESSENTIAL SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR DANGEROUS PLACES, by Rosie Garthwaite, Bloomsbury USA, 2011, 304 pp. $22.50
As events of recent months in North Africa, the Middle East and Japan have demonstrated, emergency preparedness and response are key elements of the mandate of every Canadian mission abroad. Individual preparedness is equally important.
How to Avoid Being Killed in a War Zone: The Essential Survival Guide for Dangerous Places, looks at some of the modern keys to survival in difficult situations. The book does not, as its title suggests, only tell about the hazards of war but also many other dangers, like natural disasters, street protests and conflict ridden areas where violent criminals operate. The book will therefore be of interest to friends and colleagues working or travelling to a country with any type of heightened risk.
The author, Rosie Garthwaite, is a TV journalist, producer and writer based in Doha working with Al Jazeera. Clearly a bit of a thrill seeker, Garthwaite joined the British Army as a teenager. She began her career as a reporter for the Baghdad Bulletin and other news agencies in Basra, Iraq in 2003, following her graduation from Oxford University. She has since travelled to other challenging environments and wrote the book based on some of her experiences when she found that there was no single guide on what to do when you find yourself in imminent danger while travelling abroad.
While written primarily for journalists, importantly the book not only shares Garthwaite’s survival techniques, but includes 68 other contributions from doctors, journalists, NGO workers and former hostage in Lebanon).
All contributors have an interesting story or quotable anecdote to tell. There is practical advice offered in chapters ranging from “Planning, Preparing, Arriving,” “Getting Around in a Dangerous Place,” “Surviving a Kidnapping” to “Arming Yourself against Trauma.” While many parts of the world remain relatively safe, sections on dealing with bureaucracy and dangerous driving will be of interest to many. Detailed medical information has been vetted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which will also receive a share of the royalties.
One of the fundamental messages of the guidebook is that listening to local people you trust is the most important thing you can do. Her most valuable piece of advice, however, is that preparation is essential. “Be as prepared as you possibly can — it is not cool to be under-prepared,” Garthwaite said in a recent interview.
While there are sections on frostbite and heat exhaustion, perhaps what is missing (with the growing modern threat of urban terrorism) is how to avoid and survive an attack on a five star hotel or escape from a burning modern high rise. Clearly not all danger these days comes from the frontline or the street.
Increasingly diplomats, aid workers and tourists find themselves in situations where they nearly get themselves killed. The book is both detailed and practical, is designed not only to help journalists but will assist any person living in or visiting dangerous places. Sharing near-miss experiences, such as what to do if you find yourself in the middle of a riot, helps heighten our situational awareness and prepare us mentally on how to do things more safely, or with less risk, in any potentially difficult or dangerous situation.
For those DFAIT and OGD staff being posted abroad, obtaining a basic level of formal training in the area of crisis management is important. If you find yourself in a danger zone you will be glad to have read the book. Bound like a reference manual, the book has a bit of something for everyone and may just help you and your family get through these challenging times by thinking constructively about what might happen, while hoping that it never does.
Gary Luton is currently Head of Mission in Doha, Qatar. His previous posting was in India where he led the Canadian Crisis Team in Mumbai during the terrorist siege of that city in November 2008.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 26, No. 3 (2012) — Spring 2012 // Printemps 2012, p. 36. Read the rest of this issue →
