Domestic Hostile Environment and First Aid Training for Student Journalists

Student journalists: Join the Minnesota Journalism Center for an intensive, two-day HEFAT training certification with Crisis Ready Media. 

The Domestic Hostile Environment and First Aid Training course is designed to prepare journalists and media professionals for the hazards they may face while working in today’s challenging environments across the United States. 

This training will be offered specifically for student journalists. Find the professional journalists' workshop — being held on March 2-3 — at z.umn.edu/mjc-hefat.

Over two intensive days, participants will receive hands-on instruction in safety, security, digital risk, mental resilience, and trauma first aid.

Led by experienced instructors from Crisis Ready Media, this training blends classroom learning with practical scenarios. Attendees will leave equipped with vital skills to recognize threats, respond effectively in emergencies, and stay safe while reporting stories that matter.

Upon completion, participants will receive certification in trauma first aid and hostile environment preparedness.

• When: Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28
• Time: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. both days
• Location: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus
• Cost: $50 for Hubbard School students; free for staffers of The Minnesota Daily (This training typically costs $1,250.)
• Food: Lunch is included in the registration fee.
• Register: Registration is required. Sign up here. (Be sure to use the appropriate code to activate your scholarship when registering.)

Who this is for: Student journalists from the University of Minnesota.

What to expect: Participants should come prepared to spend the full day immersed in the training. There will be light refreshments in the morning, and lunch offered during the midday break.

Day 1 topics

• Welcome & Course Introduction
• Physical Safety I: Risk Assessment & Situational Awareness
• Medical I: Individual First Aid Kit
• Mental Wellness I: Resilience
• Physical Safety II: Active Shooter and Ballistic Hazards
• Physical Safety III: Personal Protective Equipment & Field Gear
• Digital Security I: Digital Risk Assessment
• Medical II: Stop the Bleed, Airway Management
• Physical Safety IV: Natural Disasters

Day 2 topics

• Physical Safety V: Verbal Deescalation
• Medial III: Penetrating Trauma, Fractures, Shock
• Physical Safety VI: Protests and Civil Unrest
• Physical Safety VII: Arrest and Detention
• Mental Wellness II: PTSD, Signs and Symptoms
• Mental Wellness III: Psychological First Aid
• Digital Security II: Mobile Digital Security
• Capstone Exercise
• Debrief

Questions about this training session? Contact the Minnesota Journalism Center's Regina McCombs at [email protected].

About the trainer

Chris Post is an Emmy Award-winning photojournalist, as well as a media safety educator and security advocate, with a background of over 20 years in the emergency services sector.

Chris has worked in positions ranging from Captain of the fire department at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, to EMT at a regional level, to disaster emergency response with FEMA.

Chris transitioned to the field of journalism in 2009 picking up the camera he always loved since learning analog photography in the 1980’s. Chris is the 2020 recipient of the National Press Photographers Association’s second highest award for his work on advancing journalist safety and security initiatives.

As a photojournalist Chris has covered large events including the last two inaugurations, multiple political convention cycles, and the Papal visit of 2010, major disasters including earthquakes in Puerto Rico, hurricanes in the Gulf states, and the politically turbulent protests of 2020.

About the training partners

Crisis Ready Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping journalists with the skills and training needed to work safely in today’s challenging environments. They are committed to providing comprehensive education that reflects the most current and relevant information for journalists in the United States and around the world. Their aim is to ensure that media professionals are prepared to navigate the hazards of reporting in areas affected by crisis—whether natural disasters, civil unrest, or conflict.

Their programs focus on improving the physical safety, digital security, and emotional resilience of those who work tirelessly to bring important news to the public. Beyond training, they are dedicated to fostering a culture of safety within the journalism community, conducting research, and offering hazardous environment reporting in partnership with other nonprofit organizations.

The Minnesota Journalism Center supports a more vibrant, equitable, and sustainable ecosystem for journalism in Minnesota through educational initiatives, applied research and engagement with newsrooms and journalists across the state.

The MJC is based at the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication and serves journalists across Minnesota in every stage of their careers.