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Writer's pictureDavid Michelson

The key to an effective critical incident response plan (CIRP)


David Michelson:

Head of Safety and Security


The key to an effective critical incident response plan (CIRP) is to have one in place well before an incident occurs. The planning you do before a security incident occurs will help you respond to an incident as quickly and efficiently as possible.


The Safety and Security of our team is paramount and is the primary consideration in all aspects of our planning. Every team member has a role to play in their individual security and the security of the team.


Security for large events, such as the Maccabiah Games involves continual cycle of information gathering, analysis, planning, preparation and review.


The major areas to be considered when planning for security events include:

  • Mitigation and prevention: what can be done in the lead up, to help reduce the likelihood of any type of incident occurring.

  • Preparedness: critically analysing and updating previous plan and applying best practice.

  • Response: how we respond to an incident should one occur.

  • Recovery: how to get back to a normal situation.

  • Debrief: a review of the incident, what happened, how did it unfold, how did the CIRP hold up.

  • Update CIRP to reflect any new learnings.

The Australian Team has a well-documented, dynamic, robust, and well-rehearsed CIRP. The plan incorporates all the required individuals and services, and clearly defines everyone’s role and responsibilities in the event of any type of incident.


We develop and rehearse many scenarios to ensure that we are well prepared for any incident that may occur in Australia and Israel. These include responses both in Israel and Australia.


The Maccabi World Union (MWU) CIRP for the Maccabiah Games is managed and supported by multiple security agencies in Israel- including police, emergency response and other elite units.


The Australian Team is in continual liaison with MWU and other agencies including the Australian Government to ensure that we are well prepared for any incident and can respond accordingly.


A detailed security brief will be provided before leaving Australia, and updates will be provided in Israel. This will include information on personal safety, use of public transport, mobile phones and no- go-zones.

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