Security Manual Overview

Church World Service has developed a working security manual based on the needs of its organization, information provided by InterAction, and information shared by other organizations. The manual is written to address the unique perspective of the NGO community, while retaining the necessary security perspectives employed by professionals throughout the world. It is designed for use by Church World Service personnel and to serve as a guideline for other organizations in the development of their own security program.

(Most security personnel in other organizations are assigned the task of security in addition to their regular work assignments. Only a few organizations in the NGO community have permanent, full-time, security personnel. This "secondary assignment of security" reduces the effectiveness of security precautions and severely limits the ability to design a detailed manual of security protocols. Church World Service has developed their manual in a manner that can serve as a guideline for those assuming security duties in addition to their regular assignments. Other organizations only need to edit the Church World Service Security Manual to fit their needs)

The contents of the manual include sections on:

1.	Risk Management: Dealing with the concepts of security management and specific issues in the security planning process. The purpose of this section is to advance the level of staff "security awareness".
2.	Personal Protection: The Personal Protection section provides advice and information on personal image, travel, daily safety precautions, attacks, sexual assault, threats, health and medical information, etc.
3.	Conflict Management: Deals with the development of appropriate interpersonal skills, diffusing anger and hostility, and issues of gender and power.
4.	Attack Recognition: Differentiates criminal attacks from terrorist attacks and gives insight how to avoid both.
5.	Operational Alert Levels: Four specific operational alert levels are defined in this section with specific suggestions and mandates for each level.
6.	Site Security: This section addresses site security for housing, offices and warehouses. It includes a complete security survey, which can be filled out for each site with recommendations for site selection and security upgrading.
7.	Vehicles and Transport: Addresses vehicle selection, maintenance, travel recommendations and mandates, plus Vehicle Inspection Worksheets.
8.	Communication Procedures: This section addresses types of communication devices, selection of units, techniques of transmission, setup and maintenance.
9.	Hostages: Initial response procedures, hostage survival, policies and strategies.
10.	Explosive Devices: Addresses bomb threats, bomb threat procedures, building search techniques, recognition of parcel and letter bombs and how to deal with a device.
11.	Land Mines: Description of the land mine problem throughout the world, types of land mines, recognition of mined areas and procedures when encountering mines.
12.	Chemical and Biological: Introduces the participant to weapons of mass destruction and provides protective and decontamination information.
11.	Emergency Survival: Training in short-term personal survival skills, including water, clothing shelter, tools and equipment necessary.
12.	Evacuations: The evacuation section provides specific protocols to be employed in the event of an evacuation to effect a rapid, safe departure of all personnel.
13.	Armed Protection: This section deals with the controversial use of armed protection, determining use, selection and management of armed protection.
14.	Incident Reporting: Fully describes the necessity of incident reporting, the workings of an incident report and provides sample forms for use by other organizations.

Contact information for ordering.
The Security Training manual is available in English, Russian, Arabic, Nepalese and Urdu. All are available in electronic format and the English version is available in hard copy. To order, please contact Terry and Tina Wesbrock via email or phone, 804-448-2355.

If you email your request, please specify if you prefer to receive the manual in PDF format via email, or a printed version via mail. Please include your name, address and contact information if you prefer a copy to be mailed to you.

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