Cyclone arrival provides timely reality to International Training Programme

Over the last 3 years, the Resilience team at RAB have increasingly supported and delivered emergency management programmes and training to international organisations.

Most of these have been delivered remotely (in part due to Covid restrictions), but in some cases we have been asked to travel and train in the country itself.

Although the principles don’t change, these projects provide opportunities to gain knowledge and awareness of different processes, attitudes, and cultures. Understanding the types and scale of incidents along with associated impacts can be significantly different to the UK. Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, strike without notice with recovery often taking years.

In one recent example our Resilience Director, Bryan Nelson (seated third from left middle row in above picture), travelled to Bangladesh to deliver a training and exercise programme to staff from six organisations. This was part of a forward-thinking initiative managed by the United Nations Development Programme in Bangladesh to help improve planning and preparedness. Bryan explains: “It sounds exciting to visit a place like Bangladesh, but the work is intense. You basically work, eat, sleep. Responsibility rests with you, prepare well and you’ll get the rewards.”

An ironic bonus occurred during the training when Cyclone Sitrang paid a visit! This provided timely context and impact, excellent to support break-out sessions. The impact was not huge, but it demonstrates the difference between UK incidents and Bangladesh disasters.

These opportunities often arise through collaboration with partners, and at RAB we have developed some excellent working relationships which provide the perfect blend of local presence and overseas expertise. Great to work with Tonkin+Taylor on this one too, further strengthening our collaboration.

RAB deliver a wide range of resilience and emergency planning services for both public and private sector organisations. More information is available here on our website, or you can get in touch for an informal discussion on your specific project by email to enquiries@rabconsultants.co.uk or call our head office in Lichfield on 0330 223 6475.