Training & Assurance

Designed for producers, production managers, expedition leaders and operational personnel responsible for planning and delivering activities in remote environments.

Based upon recognised risk management principles and the Royal Geographical Society's Off-Site Safety Management framework, this programme develops the knowledge and skills required to effectively plan, manage and evaluate operations away from conventional support.

Topics may include:

• Planning and preparation
• Legal responsibilities and duty of care
• Risk assessment and dynamic risk management
• Staffing, supervision and competency requirements
• Communications planning
• Emergency and contingency planning
• Incident management
• Post-activity review and organisational learning

Suitable for: Film & Television production management, expedition leaders, operational supervisors and adventure travel professionals.

Designed to develop the practical skills, confidence and self-reliance required to operate safely in remote and challenging environments.

Programmes are tailored to the environment, objectives and experience level of participants and may be delivered in mountain, polar, maritime or wilderness settings.

Topics may include:

• Mountain and wilderness safety
• Glacier travel techniques
• Walking in crampons and use of ice axes
• Snow and ice anchor systems
• Ropework and belay systems
• Campcraft and fieldcraft
• Navigation and communications
• Environmental awareness and hazard management
• Emergency procedures and self-reliance

Suitable for: Production crews, expedition staff, guides, field teams and operational personnel working in remote locations.

Designed for organisations seeking to improve their ability to respond effectively to incidents, emergencies and crises in remote environments.

Training is delivered through realistic scenarios and practical exercises that challenge participants to apply skills, make decisions under pressure and work effectively as a team during complex situations.

Topics may include:

• Incident management and emergency response
• Medical emergency scenarios
• Casualty management and evacuation
• Crisis leadership and decision-making
• Human factors and team resource management
• Communications during emergencies
• Technical rescue awareness
• Crevasse rescue and self-rescue systems
• Tabletop exercises and scenario-based learning

Suitable for: Expedition leaders, operational managers, production leadership teams and remote environment professionals.

Training alone does not guarantee capability.

ESI provides independent assurance services that allow organisations to evaluate the effectiveness of their people, plans and procedures through observation, exercises, audits and operational reviews.

Services may include:

• Exercise design and facilitation
• Emergency response exercises
• Scenario validation and testing
• Competency assessments
• Operational readiness reviews
• Rescue capability evaluations
• Lessons identified workshops
• Training needs analysis

Our assurance services provide confidence that personnel, systems and procedures are capable of performing effectively when required.

ESI programmes can be delivered individually or combined to create a progressive capability development pathway tailored to your organisation's requirements.

Foundation: Remote Operations & Safety Management

Developing the knowledge and understanding required to plan, manage and evaluate operations in remote environments.

Focus areas:

• Risk management
• Legal responsibilities and duty of care
• Planning and preparation
• Communications
• Emergency planning
• Incident management

Practitioner: Remote Environment Skills & Expedition Readiness

Developing the practical skills, judgement and self-reliance required to operate safely and effectively in challenging environments.

Focus areas:

• Mountain, polar and wilderness travel
• Environmental hazard management
• Rope systems and technical skills
• Fieldcraft and campcraft
• Navigation and communications
• Emergency procedures

Advanced: Operational Readiness & Crisis Response

Developing the capability to manage complex incidents, emergencies and crises in remote and high-consequence environments.

Focus areas:

• Medical emergencies
• Crisis leadership
• Casualty evacuation
• Rescue systems
• Major incident management
• Scenario-based exercises and validation

Organisations may choose to develop capability progressively through all three levels or focus on specific areas relevant to their operational requirements.

Every organisation faces different operational challenges.

All ESI training and assurance programmes can be tailored to specific environments, activities and organisational requirements. From expedition staff operating in Antarctica to production crews filming in remote mountain regions, we develop programmes that reflect the realities of the environments in which our clients work.