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Does anybody know of emergency response plans that can be adapted in the case of a terrorist attack in Greece?

KnowledgePointAdmin
RedR CCDRR

I am trying to draw up a security plan for refugee camps as threats of violence proliferate. Major organizations must have protocols how to evacuate their staff? How to protect refugees in such a threat?


1 Answer

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Hi Robyn,

Your question is quite broad, so I’ll answer in a general sense – if however you have more specific questions please feel free to ask.

Firstly, all security management begins from an understanding of the context. In a refugee camp, this will include many dimensions, from the political, economic and legal environment of the host country, through to the specific physical layout of the camp and the breakdown of its population. This understanding should be gathered from as many sources as possible, including official sources, the police, other NGOs, camp leaders and residents.

Once you understand the general context, you can start to look at specific threats – what is most likely to happen, and what can you do to prevent it or reduce the impact of it happening. This is the ‘risk assessment’ process and can help you focus your plans – for example, you talk about terrorist attacks, which may well be a risk, but riots, fires etc could be a much greater concern. Once you’ve done this, you can look at making specific plans for staying safe on a daily basis (called Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs), and reacting to emergencies (called Contingency Plans).

In terms of SOPs, there are a few standard things that should be considered when working in camps. Firstly, there is communication. You must have a way of communicating with everyone in the camp, in order to inform them of any security concerns. This may be by mobile phone, radio or other means. A simple ‘phone tree’ where each person is responsible for sending a message on, and reporting back when they receive the reply, is a good way of making sure everyone is kept informed. This flow of information should go both ways, as staff may see something that others need to be aware of, for example a deterioration of the situation (see ‘indicators’ below). You must also always know how many staff you have in the camp. This means if something goes wrong, it’s much easier to do a head count and make sure you’ve accounted for everyone. To do this you may want to have a sign in system in your office, or track staff movement in another way.

It is also important to be able to understand the indicators that show that the security situation might be deteriorating. Again this comes back to context and your understanding of the situation. For example, if previous outbursts of violence have been preceded by a large gathering of people at a particular place, for example the entrance to the camp, then if you see this it could be an idea to leave the camp early before the situation gets worse.

If the situation does get bad, for whatever reason, all staff need to know how to evacuate – this is one of your contingency plans. The evacuation itself could take many different forms, and again depends on the context. You should try to look at alternative entrances / exits in case ... (more)

Comments

Dear Tom: Thank you so much for this general yet detailed and very helpful response. I wrote an extensive checklist for a security plan in the event of a violent attack in a camp in Lesvos for my graduate course in international disaster management. I got all these points, though not as eloquently as you outlined. When in Greece, I detected a resistance to plan for such eventualities, but that was just an impression. I can understand several obstacles and difficult choices that must go into a plan and preparations. Thank you for sharing your approach.

Robyn gravatar imageRobyn ( 2016-12-21 02:31:12 )

I really appreciate Tom's contribution and recognise the resistance you've found Robyn - it's not about 'imposing a list' but collaborating on a holistic preparedness and response plan, reviewing all risks the community face and what would be best/ most feasible response in the specific context, bearing in mind that any actual situation can't be predicted so needs to be generic enough to be resilient for 'unforeseen' risks.

Rianne C ten Veen gravatar imageRianne C ten Veen ( 2016-12-25 14:27:03 )