Emergencies & Incidents

Contents Safety & Quality Guide

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Missing Student Protocol

Losing track of a student can be prevented with proper supervision, by being a Constant Witness and by truly Paying Attention. Losing track of a student is a serious incident with no time for hesitation. If it happens, follow these procedures:

Notify Chain-of-Command

• Notify Security if you are in a public facility. They may be able to secure the area in the case of abduction.
• Notify your Coordinator. Coordinator will assign “Hunters” to search the site, and “Gatherers” to call a Gather Drill. See below for details.
• Keep lines of communication open with the Coordinator at all times during search.

Gather Drill

• Call a Gather Drill on radios. All teachers gather students to a designated safe area.
• Do a Head Count with rosters to assure presence of all other students.
• During the Gather Drill and the search, keep participants occupied, don’t scare them.

Search

• Hunters” circle in pairs from the last place the student was seen—aka Point Last Seen (PLS)—spiraling outward. They will balance this search pattern with likely points the student(s) may be.
• If there is no Point Last Seen, identify areas the student(s) frequents or may go to.
• Maintain radio contact with Base at all times, while calling the lost student’s name(s).

Notify Authorities

• If a camper is not found within 10 minutes of searching, call authorities. This is likely the Sheriff’s Office or other police who will contact Search & Rescue. These contacts should be on your Site Safety Sheet.
• Notify the highest authority in your organization. They decide when and how to contact guardians to apprise them of the situation. They also decide how and when witnesses can speak with police or other authorities.

Application of First Aid

All staff must have a level of first-aid training relevant to their location. Basic first aid is the minimum. This section doesn’t cover first aid, it covers appropriate level of response and communication. In order to decide what level an injury is and what to do about it, refer to Evacuation Policy.

Every group must carry a first-aid kit when traveling outside of Command Center. All first-aid kits can be restocked and wounds can be treated at the central camp supplies. At permanent overnight camps, an automatic external defibrillator (AED) should be on hand in the Command Center or a designated health area. For primitive camping and temporary sites, check local regulations for first-aid requirements.

Minor Wound/Injury

Minor wounds/injuries include small scrapes, first-degree burns, shallow lacerations or puncture wounds (e.g. thorns), bloody noses, and minor bruises. Treat as follows:

• Use first-aid kits and follow first-aid procedures.
• Notify your Coordinator as soon as possible.
• Coordinator check in with staff or students as to status of wound/injury within 12 hours or less.
• Coordinator determines whether staff fills out Incident Report within 12 hours of care.

Moderate Wound/Injury

Moderate wounds/injuries include larger lacerations, blistering burns on small area of the body, or anything that needs monitoring. Treat as follows:

• Keep a competent buddy (adult or child) with you and injured child. Delegate other staff to move rest of group away from injured participant and keep the group occupied.
• Treat wound/injury for immediate risk and to control further injury.
• Contact your Coordinator immediately.
• If your camp has a consulting physician, contact them for advice and treat wound/injury accordingly.
• Coordinator calls parents to inform of injury and discuss treatment plan. If parents are not available, use designated Emergency Contact on Health Form.
• Coordinator ensures that the wound/injury is treated and monitored appropriately.
• Coordinator fills out Incident Reports with appropriate staff within 12 hours.

Major, Life-Threatening or Disabling Wound/Injury

Traumas or injuries that are potentially life-threatening need to be treated immediately. The following steps will happen in rapid succession. Treat as follows:

• Keep a competent buddy (adult or child) with you and injured individual. Delegate other staff to:
  • Move rest of group away from injured child and keep the group occupied.
  • Call 911.
  • Contact Coordinator.
• Assure there is no remaining danger to you or other participants.
• Stabilize life-threatening injuries.
• Coordinator will execute Emergency Services Protocol and call highest-level supervisor.
• Highest-level supervisor calls parents to apprise them of the situation and to discuss necessary treatment.
• If staff are not able to reach parents, keep calling parents until you make contact.
• Fill out Incident Report as soon as possible after incident occurs, within 6 hours.

Whenever talking with participants, parents, or emergency services, answer with clarity and refer only to facts and observations. Do not assign fault or blame.

Incident Reporting

Incident Reports are a crucial part of how your organization protects itself and learns from past experience. All teachers will likely fill out an Incident Report at some point during the summer. We expect Incident Reports to be filed in these circumstances: Extreme behavior issues.

• Medical incidents beyond Band-Aids.
• Injuries that cause emotional distress in student, including Band-Aids.
• Serious safety violations by students or staff.
• Difficult or negatively-charged parent interactions.
• “Near-misses” (where someone was at risk of being hurt, even if nothing bad happened) that you want to clarify with parents. Make sure an accurate story goes home.
• Vehicle incidents or accidents, no matter how minor.
• When requested by Coordinator.
• Anything weird that happens (ask your Coordinator if you aren’t sure).

Forms should always be available in the Command Center or from your Coordinator. See Incident Report for the from. Your description of events should be clear, concise, and above all, neutral and fact-based.

Bad Example “Susie, age 4, was being rowdy on the bus, and then was rude to my assistant. Later she deliberately poked another camper with a stick because she wanted to make them mad.” Good Example “Susie got up from her seat two times on the bus ride to the site. When our assistant asked her to sit down, she said, ‘I don’t have to, and you can’t make me.’ After we arrived at the site, she poked another camper with a stick. When asked why she did that, she frowned and said, ‘I don’t know.’ “

Note how the first example is vague and subjective. It ascribes motives and emotions to the student based on the writer’s guesses. In the second example, only objective facts are described. In your report, always include as many details as possible, including background information and follow-up steps.

While it may be tempting to inject humor into your write ups, an Incident Report should always be written as if a parent or member of an outside agency could potentially read it. Sometimes Incident Reports do need to be shared with outside parties.

Remember Incident Reports are clear, concise, and above all, neutral and fact-based.

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