I'm a retired marine who helps expats survive sudden conflicts and natural disasters. Here are 5 proactive steps you should take for your safety if you live abroad.

• Jeremy Prout is a retired marine and director of security solutions at International SOS.
• He helps expats in over 1,000 locations across 90 countries deal with sudden wars and crises.
• Prout thinks there are five proactive steps all expats should take for their safety.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jeremy Prout, a retired marine and the director of security solutions at International SOS, a health and security risk management company that works with expatriates and their employers.

As director of security solutions at International SOS, I'm often deployed abroad to help our teams across 90 countries with extraordinary crises.