Field Safety — Preparation

NRTG’s MicroCourses offer a dynamic training pathway that’s as flexible as it is enriching to build expertise. Our Field Safety—Preparation course, delivers in-depth training in an easily digestible format. It’s designed to maximize your skills for immediate application.    

Before venturing into remote environments for work or research, whether it’s a day trip or an extended expedition, comprehensive preparation is essential. This MicroCourse dives into the foundational elements of safe fieldwork planning, equipping you with the strategies, documentation practices, and data-processing techniques necessary to ensure a productive and secure experience. But beyond methodological rigor, a critical component is often overlooked: planning for your safe and healthy return. 

This MicroCourse provides essential insights into safety protocols, risk assessment techniques, and actionable strategies to enhance your confidence and readiness, allowing you to focus fully on your research goals while staying safe. Split into two interactive sessions, the course includes a brief homework assignment for students to complete in their local area, reinforcing practical knowledge and preparation skills. 

Field Safety—Preparation lays the groundwork for safe, efficient research excursions. For more advanced skills, consider taking the follow-up course, Field Safety—Survival & Medical Emergency Self-Treatment, which builds on this foundational training. 

Format: 2 x 2-hour sessions with a practical assignment in between. 

Instructor Profile

Reiner Neuhaus, Central Germany

Reiner has a 12-year background in the German armed forces, where he was responsible for training approximately 1,200 soldiers in survival skills, preparing them to endure emergency situations for extended periods in diverse regions and environments without external support. In collaboration with military leadership, he helped develop situational analyses of specific areas, forming the foundation for effective mission planning. Alongside his military service, Reiner volunteered as a swift-water rescue swimmer and paramedic with the German Life Saving Association for nearly a decade, and today, he is a respected incident commander for flood rescue operations. 

Reiner holds degrees in education and social work and teaches survival skills and mission planning to a range of professionals, including active and reserve soldiers, as a reservist in the German armed forces. In this role, he also contributes to Germany’s National Disaster Center, where he coordinates the interaction between civilian aid organizations and military rescue units (CIMIC—Civil-Military Cooperation). 

When he’s not working, Reiner enjoys the outdoors with his wife and two dogs, hiking and trekking through nature. Two years ago, he completed a four-week wilderness expedition through Sweden and Norway, equipped with only a knife, fire steel, fishing kit, sleeping bag, and tarp.