Personal Emergency Response Planning for Executives

A personal emergency response plan is, at its core, a decision-deferral tool. It answers the questions that will be hardest to answer clearly under stress – who to call, where to go, what resources are available – before the emergency that makes them urgent.

The discipline of planning for emergencies before they occur is well established in corporate crisis management and business continuity. It is less consistently applied at the individual level, even for senior executives who operate in genuinely elevated-risk environments. This guide explains what a personal emergency response plan should contain, how to build one, and how to ensure it remains operational when it is needed.

Who Needs a Personal Emergency Response Plan

The case for a PERP is clearest for:

Executives who travel regularly to elevated-risk destinations. Any individual who makes regular business trips to destinations carrying FCDO or State Department Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) or above advisories is operating in an environment where the probability of a security incident – robbery, medical emergency, civil unrest, natural disaster – is meaningfully elevated relative to domestic travel.

Executives with profile-driven threat. A CEO or other senior executive who has a public profile that creates targeting risk – from fixated individuals, from disaffected former employees, from activist groups, or from commercial rivals in high-stakes disputes – faces a threat that exists regardless of geography.

HNW individuals and family principals. Financial profile creates kidnap and robbery risk in many environments. The PERP for an HNWI and their family should cover the residential environment as well as travel.

Long-term international postings. An executive on a two-year posting to Lagos, Karachi, or Bogota needs a more comprehensive plan than someone making a three-day trip. The plan should cover both the daily operating environment and the full range of emergency scenarios specific to that city and country.

Structure of a Personal Emergency Response Plan

A practical PERP has six components:

1. Contact Directory

The contact directory should be exhaustive and verified. Every number should be tested before the plan is finalised.

Essential contacts:

• KFR insurer emergency response hotline (24-hour)
• Close protection team out-of-hours contact
• Corporate security director (personal mobile, not office)
• Employer’s duty of care / HR emergency line
• Local embassy or consulate 24-hour emergency line for the principal’s nationality
• FCDO (UK nationals) or State Department (US nationals) emergency services
• International SOS or equivalent medical/security assistance provider membership number and 24-hour line
• Local hospital emergency (the best-quality facility in the operating environment, not the nearest)
• Trusted local contact (someone with physical presence in the location who can provide immediate assistance)
• Primary next of kin contact and backup
• Legal counsel (for situations involving arrest or detention)

For each contact in high-risk overseas destinations, add the local police emergency number – but note whether local police are a reliable resource in that specific environment.

2. Medical Summary

The medical summary is a security document, not an administrative one.

It should include: blood type (ABO and Rh), known drug allergies and the specific reaction, current medications with dosages, any conditions that affect treatment (diabetes, heart conditions, clotting disorders), primary care physician contact, and insurance policy details including the assistance provider membership number.

This information should be carried by the principal in a compact physical format – a card in the wallet – and should be known to the close protection team lead. In an emergency where the principal is unconscious or incapacitated, this information determines whether first responders can treat them effectively.

3. Document Storage

The PERP should include secure access to copies of key documents:

Passport (data page and current visa pages), national identity document, driving licence, KFR insurance policy, medical insurance policy, travel insurance policy, and any professional credentials or licences that may be needed in the operating environment.

Digital copies should be stored in encrypted cloud storage accessible from any device with the relevant credentials – not in email attachments that may be inaccessible if the email account is compromised. Physical copies in a secure location at the principal’s home and workplace provide a backup.

4. Emergency Protocols by Scenario

The core of the PERP is the scenario-based protocol section. Each scenario has a defined first action, first contact, and reference to supporting resources.

The scenarios to cover depend on the operating environment, but for most executives travelling to elevated-risk destinations the minimum set is:

Medical emergency. First action: call the assistance provider (International SOS, AXA Assistance, Global Rescue) using the membership number in the contact directory. The assistance provider coordinates medical evacuation if required. Do not rely solely on local emergency services in environments where their capability is uncertain.

Robbery or assault. First action: comply, do not resist. Subsequent: contact the close protection team, then the corporate security director. Do not make social media posts about the incident before speaking to the security team. Report to local police only after guidance from the security team.

Detention or arrest. First action: do not answer questions beyond confirming identity. Request consular notification immediately – this is a right under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963). Contact legal counsel from the contact directory. The corporate security director is notified and takes the lead on external assistance.

Kidnapping (victim or witness). If you are the victim: comply, maintain composure, communicate cooperatively but provide no information that helps the captors. The KFR insurer should be activated by a designated colleague from the plan. If you witness a kidnapping of a colleague: activate the KFR insurer hotline immediately and follow their guidance – do not attempt independent action.

Civil unrest / rapid deterioration. Monitor FCDO and State Department travel advisories. Know the location of the nearest safe shelter (embassy, trusted organisation, hotel with adequate security). Know the extraction route from the operating environment: planned transportation, route to the airport, and any pre-positioned emergency resources.

Natural disaster or major incident. Know the nearest assembly point. Know who the designated welfare check contact is. Be registered with the relevant embassy’s notification system (FCDO provides “Register, Locate, Deter” registration for UK nationals; the State Department has the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, STEP).

Loss of communications. Defined rally point and check-in procedure that does not rely on mobile networks. Satellite communication device availability if operating in remote environments.

5. Location and Movement Records

For security purposes, the principal’s intended itinerary – hotel addresses, meeting locations, flight details, and local contact information – should be held by the corporate security director and the designated next of kin. If the principal fails to check in or becomes unreachable, this information enables rapid location and response.

Daily check-in protocols are a standard requirement for executives operating in elevated-risk environments. A defined check-in time and a defined escalation procedure if the check-in is missed – the corporate security director attempts contact, then the local emergency contact, then the embassy – should be specified in the plan.

6. Family Provisions

If the principal has a family that depends on them, the PERP should include provision for what happens if they are incapacitated for an extended period:

Who has power of attorney for the principal’s financial and legal affairs? Does that individual know they have it and where the relevant documents are?

Who is the designated emergency guardian for minor children if both the principal and their partner are affected by the same incident?

Does the principal’s family know the plan exists, where it is, and who the first contact is? They do not need the operational detail, but they must know enough to activate the plan.

The Condensed Quick-Reference Card

The full PERP document should not be carried on the principal’s person. If they are detained, it becomes an intelligence asset for the adversary – it reveals the principal’s support structure, the response team, and the communication channels.

A condensed quick-reference card – the first three contacts in each scenario, the medical summary, and the insurance policy numbers – is appropriate to carry. It contains enough information to initiate a response without revealing the full programme.

Maintenance

A PERP that has not been reviewed in 18 months is likely to contain at least one contact that is now outdated, a medical detail that has changed, or an insurance policy that has lapsed or been updated. An annual review and update is the minimum. Additional reviews are triggered by: a new travel destination or posting, a change in medical status, a change in family circumstances, a new close protection arrangement, or any change to the threat profile.

For the organisational evacuation planning that complements an individual PERP for teams posted to high-risk environments, see our corporate emergency evacuation planning guide. For pre-travel risk assessment that informs the scenario selection for your PERP, see our pre-travel risk assessment service. For the structured tabletop exercise framework that tests the organisational crisis management plan your PERP feeds into – NCSC Exercise in a Box methodology, ISO 22301 Clause 8.5, and scenario selection for P1 city incident types – see our security crisis simulation and tabletop exercises guide.

Source: ISO 31030:2021 Travel Risk Management – Individual Traveller section. FCDO: Register, Locate, Deter guidance for UK nationals overseas 2024. US State Department: Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) guidance. International SOS Foundation: Duty of Care Standard for Individual Travellers 2023. Control Risks: Personal Security Planning framework 2024. Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), Article 36 (consular notification rights).

For the specific emergency planning considerations that apply to rural and agricultural estates – extended police response times, isolated residential environments, remote reconnaissance risk, and the interface between estate security and principal personal protection – see our agricultural and rural security guide.