Hydra Foundation - | Hydra Foundation | Supporting Experts - Managing Uncertainty

"Really good session and very valuable learning. The interaction via Ipad is brilliant. Would love to run it more often and remotely and maybe even use it as part of PNAC selection. "
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"In addition to specific learning points I feel I'm growing in confidence to be able to challenge the norm and introduce more emotion into how I consider things eg my suggestions to the "what matters" map of instinct and understanding what matters to others. I've always held these views but I feel they have been diluted over the years"
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"The last day and a half has been a really valuable learning experience. The debates about what is a critical incident and the map about considerations will be something I have to refer to next time I have a difficult case or gold to run. I also think the honestly around the use of the NDM was refreshing and renewed my confidence. I had begun to feel constrained by having to apply a model over my decision making"
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"I suppose that the thinking time afforded to me by this course has allowed me the really scrutinise my own values insofar as they relate to strategic thinking and some of the operational decision making exercises that we've done. How do I now develop my thinking and leadership style as I move towards the next chapter of my career remains a key challenge for the next few weeks"
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"He session has reinforced the importance of doing the right thing. This is a powerful argument if you really understand your values and ethics."
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"It provides the platform to challenge and express views when others around your are focused on targets or issues that are not adding value to public service."
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"The day flew by. It was interesting and stimulating. The speaker obviously had years of experience and it showed. It was very good to meet Social Workers, Health and Education in a slightly informal situation to see how differently they approach situations. "
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"The IT system is an excellent tool to create a mock situation. It has really given me the opportunity to project myself at the strategic level. At the same time, the exercise has showed me the difference of sensibility to the events between English and French point of view."
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"Don't be afraid to tell the truth, stick to your own personal values and admit when you get things wrong. Demonstrate this to your staff and allow them to make mistakes, it is the learning that is important."
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"I personally gained a lot from observing Jonathan's facilitative style and being coached in the methodology of Hydra facilitation with special emphasis on 'not bursting the bubble'. The Hydra client end of the exercises was a really useful experience as was being in the facilitators chair in the control room and analysing the logs."
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

"I would advise all school leaders to go on training such as this and would even like to suggest that my borough runs training such as this for all agencies within the Borough. On arriving back to school this training has certainly had an impact.
– Delegate – Senior Command Course

Covid 19 UPDATE

On 22nd April 2020, The Hydra Foundation delivered the inaugural fully online, live video facilitated, remote 10,000 volts (10kv) debrief with over 300 participants who all connected to the system from their home or other place of work. In little over an hour they generated over 50,000 words. This debrief took place in the middle of the Covid 19 crisis and was commissioned to elicit responses from members of Local Resilience Forums that could be acted on during the crisis, as opposed to the more usual post incident debrief of lessons learned for the next crisis. The Hydra Foundation has subsequently delivered several similar de-briefs for the Metropolitan Police, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive. A further interim LRF debrief has been delivered and a safeguarding debrief with education professionals was also delivered recently.

All these debriefs were delivered for free.

The Hydra Foundation made significant upgrades and augmentations to the existing 10kv system to enable it to be delivered in an era of social distancing and remote working; including the addition of remote live video facilitation, the ability to access the system from anywhere in the world via smartphones or other internet connected devices, and the ability for an intel cell to remotely assist in the live analysis of the data to help with facilitating the event.

We call this system 10kv-Local. For more detailed explanation click on this link

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10000-volts-debriefing-responding-covid-19-jonathan-crego/

In parallel with this new approach, we have added the ability to deliver online 10kv scenario led debriefs that include the use of pre-recorded video and audio feeds and documents.

We call this approach 10kv – Presence.

In 2019 we began working on a new addition to the Hydra methodology. A virtual version of Hydra that would allow participants to ‘attend’ a Hydra suite as a delegate or facilitator from anywhere in the world. We began working on this solution to give greater flexibility to participants, to allow Subject Matter Experts to attend for short periods of time and to substantially reduce travelling and facility costs for everyone involved. We had planned to roll this out in 2021. The current crisis has made this new addition even more necessary and we have accelerated the development and testing process. We expect it to be ready to roll out in September 2020.

We call this new system Hydra – Presence: Being There while remaining Here.

For more information please click below

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hydra-presence-evolution-methodology-jonathan-crego/

If you work in the save life world, and think we might be able to help, please get in touch either at or 07577 308533.

Welcome to the Hydra Foundation.

The Hydra foundation is the community of ideas supporting the Hydra immersive learning methodologies. There are 85 Hydra simulation centres throughout the world, this community is focussed on providing real learning and research opportunities for expert practitioners working in the fields of; Emergency Services, Criminal Justice, Military, Government and Humanitarian Agencies.

Hydra is an immersive, interactive environment for delivering exercises to develop decision makers to better manage Critical Incidents. The methodology provides highly realistic simulations of events, enabling key staff to respond in real time to both immediate critical pressured events and also to consider their strategic impact on both their institution and the public. Delegates are able to record difficult decisions and uniquely, also record their rich and detailed rationale. This approach to ‘show your working’ is further discussed in ‘time-out’ sessions within the exercise, by trained and skilled facilitators.

Hydra methodologies have been evolving for over 25 years and the latest version ‘Hydra in the Cloud’ (HITC), provides a wealth of additional learning methodologies and remote capabilities. It is our desire to have all of the existing Hydra suites converted to use the versatile HITC within the next 12 months. The beauty of the web based system is, it can be run virtually anywhere where an internet portal is available. The methodologies available using HITC extend the original concept by order of magnitude. HITC can be operated with delegates geographically separated from the Hydra centre. A Hydra remote syndicate can exist at any number of locations enabling the globalisation of the Hydra method. In the evolving international arena where critical incidents can and are linked across continents, a system able to simulate this with real delegates from real locations is indeed powerful and necessary.

Building a timeline for exercises delivered in HITC is simple, intuitive and fast, enabling subject matter experts to build, modify and deliver events without the requirement being constrained.

Hydra was originally designed to assist Police and Fire services within the UK in dealing with critical incidents; it has always been and continues to be, the philosophy of the Hydra Foundation to provide the Hydra software and all updates at no charge to the Police and Fire services. To other institutions charges are made for support and training.

The Hydra Foundation will only supply a licence to public or private companies who comply with its ‘save lives mission’.

Hydra's Core Values

The core values of the Hydra Foundation centre on a community of ideas.

This community must feel free to share research, share successes, and share creativity and be encouraged in the development of new and exciting approaches in the design and delivery of immersive methodologies. All of the Hydra community must recognise that the free exchange of ideas is pivotal to its collective identity and purpose. The community spans; public sector, academia, private enterprise and is global. The Hydra Foundation exists, not only to progress this work but also to ensure its existing operational research is made available to its stakeholders.

Blog Posts

Stephen Lawrence Conference 20 years since the public inquiry

Apr 2 '19
Posted By: Jonathan Crego
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Picture above; Neville Lawrence, Jonathan Crego and John Grieve. The Hydra Foundation just delivered 10kv debriefing as part of a Conference 20 years on from the Public Inquiry. Brilliant speakers. Huge delegate engagement, captured by 10kv system, 35,000 words poured into the system, wonderful data-set. Can’t wait to do the analysis…

Police Scotland upgrades to Hydra in the Cloud

Apr 2 '19
Posted By: Jonathan Crego
0

We are delighted to celebrate that Police Scotland at the Police College at Tulliallan Castle in Kincardine, Fife, Scotland have just upgraded their Hydra Suite to Hydra in the Cloud. This is very exciting and to make it even more special they have the only polished oak suite in the world! …

Listen

Feb 28 '18
Posted By: Jonathan Crego
0

I was criticised when I watched the opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympics and openly said the unsayable “These fireworks represent the monies that are not being spent on social care, child protection agencies, police officer or on housing officers” I was told that I had no sense of…