Lt. Col. JÁNOS Besenyő MH GEOSZ REVIEW ABOUT “Survival” written by Sándor Horváth.

Is it important for you the safety of your loved ones and yourself, when you work in the country or far away from your home, abroad? Are you aware of the danger signals during your staying and travel? Not? So, you have to buy immediately a security manual, which deals with this kind of situations. It is the first time that such a security manual is available for everybody in Hungarian, which deals with the security aspects of peacekeeping and humanitarian missions abroad, and raises awareness as well as provides guidance in the case of different emergencies.

In the past decade, there has been a steady increase in the number of field activities, and Hungarian staff has been deployed under the OSCE, UN, EU, MFO flags around the world. This book serves not only for peacekeepers, but also for civilians, as a primer on how to navigate as safely as possible in the potentially wild world of adventure, in post conflict areas and in third world countries. For those who are accustomed to operating in comfortable and insulated confines of the modern society, this book is a compulsory reading, before you even think about going to your first foreign mission or travel.

The author, Sádor Horváth is a former member of the Hungarian Special Police Unit (RKSZ), who participated in several CIVPOL peacekeeping missions. He gained unique practical experience in the field of personal security throughout those years he spent in post conflict areas. Using his extensive practical experience and the available literature, he has written a very good guidebook, which can be used in everyday life as well. Therefore, the manual is a useful reading not only for peacekeepers and aid workers, but it could be handy in everyday life as well.

This is an excellent reprint of the basics of personal security in the mission area, which consists of more than 200 pages and covers the following main areas: introduction to the rehabilitation of post-conflict societies, self preparation, characteristics of post-conflict environments, terrorism, hostage situation, recommended behavior in captivity, personal security and safety in general, life-saving protective equipment, office security, home security, family members in the mission area, local employees, fire protection, travel safety, mine awareness, map reading and orientation, traffic safety, four-wheel driving techniques, radio communication, self-defense and fitness, stress and stress management, basics of first aid, main diseases, cross-cultural communication and cultural shock.

The manual attempts to distil Sándor’s recommendations based on his previous field experiences and vocational literatures, in order to increase the survival capability of future peacekeepers and travelers. There are plenty of useful illustrations. Some of them, we have already seen previously, but the others are completely new. The information is generally laid out in a logical fashion, and I found most of the guidance very practical, functional and useful. I might quibble with a number of minor things, but none of that would kill you and there are a lot more excellent advices that will save your butt. This is a good choice for someone looking for an in-depth basics survival manual, not useful only in mission area, but in everyday life, too.

Title: Survival – Tuned to security- Guidebook for peacekeepers, aid workers and travelers; 206-pages, price: 2490 HUF

Source: http://knbsz.gov.hu/hu/letoltes/szsz/2013_1_spec.pdf  from page 163 to 164.