Using Technology to Enhance Your Health, Safety and Crisis Management Planning for International Travelers

"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.

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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

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How Mature Is Your TRM Program

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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

• 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?

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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

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