Camps » Planning & Conducting a Safe Scout Outing

planning & conducting a safe scout outing

Safe Scouting can happen if you follow the Scout motto~BE PREPARED.

Introduction to Guide to Safe Scouting  

Tour Permits

Tour permits are an essential part of the safe Scout outing planning process.

The Local Tour Permit is used for trips of less than 500 miles and lets the local council know where your trip will be taking place. It describes activity training standards required for activities such as swimming, boating, or climbing. It explains the requirements for transportation and leadership training.

The tour leader signs the application, indicating that he or she has read the Guide to Safe Scouting.

The Local Tour Permit includes spaces for officials at facilities visited to sign indicating that cooperation and conduct were satisfactory, as well as vehicle insurance section to be completed for each vehicle used. There is a section outlining transportation requirements (required speeds and licensing). Lastly, the tour permit includes "Our Pledge of Performance handout," which covers best practices for a Scout outing.

When the Local Tour Permit is completed, send it to your local council office—The Great Salt Lake Council located at 525 Foothill Blvd., Salt Lake City, Utah 84113, phone: (801) 582-3663, fax: (801) 582-7401. Submit your Tour Permit to the office about two weeks prior to outing for approval.

The Local Tour Permit is an essential and valuable document for planning a Scout outing. Every adult leader and Scout should have a copy of this permit to study so that the obligations undertaken are well understood.

The National Tour Permit is used for trips 500 miles or more (one-way). It is similar to the Local Tour Permit in that it is sent to your local council and then to the BSA regional office for approval, so leave adequate lead time—at least a month—in submitting the application.

The National Tour Permit has space for the following information.

  • Leadership and personnel information
  • Transportation requirements (driver's licensing and insurance)
  • A copy of the itinerary
  • An application for an International Letter of Introduction (where desired)

The National Tour Permit describes BSA requirements for health, safety, aquatics, climbing/rappelling, sanitation, wilderness use, and Youth Protection training. The group leader is required to have a copy of the Guide to Safe Scouting and to sign that it has been read.

Both the Local and National Tour Permits are valuable planning and safety tools. Each of these permits refers to other BSA documents that discuss safety training:

  • Safe Swim Defense
  • Safety Afloat
  • Climb On Safely
  • Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO)
  • Tours and Expeditions
  • Wilderness Use Policy
  • Principles of Leave No Trace
  • Leave No Trace Training Outline

Fire Safety: fires should be attended at all times.

Council Fire Policy as of March 2008 for the Great Salt Lake Council - BSA590

For more information on Fire Safety please see Chapter 8 in the BSA Fieldbook, 4th Ed. #32067.  You may purchase the Fieldbook at your local Scout Shop.

Clean and Sanitary Camp
Three important things you can do to keep yourself and others healthy:
                        1. Wash your hands.
                        2. Wash your hands.
                        3. Wash your hands.

Safe Drinking Water
            The safest water to drink on a Scout outing is that which you have carried from home.  Always start out with one or more full water bottles and replenish your supply from tested public systems whenever you can.  On adventures of longer duration, streams, lakes, springs, and snowfields are potential sources of water, but be sure to treat all water you get in the wild, not matter how clean it seems to be.  –Fieldbook #32067, 4th Edition.

Water must be made safe to drink by filtration and chemical treatment Three effective ways to treat water are boiling, chemical treatment, and filtering.  See the Fieldbook #32067, 4th Edition, Chapter 9 for further information on water purification.

Introduction to the Guide to Safe Scouting

Every Scout leader should be familiar with the contents of the Guide to Safe Scouting. Planning for a safe Scouting event is a big responsibility and requires a big guide!

Topics included in this guide include:

1.       Youth Protection and Adult Leadership

2.       Aquatics Safety

3.       Camping

4.       Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use and Abuse

5.       Emergency Preparedness

6.       First Aid

7.       Fuels and Fire Prevention

8.       Guns and Firearms

9.       Sports and Activities

10.   Inspections

11.   Medical Information

12.   Transportation

13.   Winter Activities

The Guide to Safe Scouting is revised every year. Be sure that you are using the most current version. Remember—both the Local and National Tour Permits require that the adult leader certify that this guide is in his possession and has been read.

Two-Deep Leadership

Safe Scouting requires adequate adult leadership. For camps, trips, and outdoor activities, this means having at least two adult leaders, one of whom is at least 21 years old. It is unacceptable to have a camp, trip, or outdoor activity with only one adult present. If only one adult is able to attend, the trip must be cancelled. Ideally, at least three adults will accompany the troop on Scouting on trips. (Note that for properly trained Boy Scout patrols, it is acceptable to have outdoor patrol activities with no adults present. Such activities do require Scoutmaster approval).

Planning Basics

To plan and conduct a safe and successful Scouting activity you must ask and answer these basic questions:

  • Who is going?
  • What is the purpose of the activity?
  • Where is the group going?
  • When will events be accomplished?
  • How will the transportation to and events at the Scout activity be accomplished?

As you work your way through the detailed answers to these questions, refer to the Guide to Safe Scouting for answers on how to be safe from start to finish of the event as well as the BSA Scouting Fieldbook #32067, 4th Edition.

Permission Slips and Medical Forms

The Informed Consent Agreement (parent/guardian permission slip) is available on the BSA Web site, as are the two Personal Health and Medical Record Forms—Class 1 and 2 and Class 3.

Study these forms closely to understand their purpose in identifying potential problem areas. See that these forms are used and available to adult Scouters during the course of an activity.

You should have a separate permission slip for each Scout for each activity and an updated medical form each year. Get medical forms for adults, too, as adults can have medical conditions occur on outdoor activities. Be sure to keep these medical forms private and use them only on a need-to-know basis. Troop leadership should review the medical forms of Scouts and leaders to ensure that they are prepared to handle situations which might arise.

Guidelines for Safe Transportation to and from the Outing (Vehicle Safety)

Drive safely!

Some best practices for vehicle safety include:

  • Have each vehicle checked for safe operating condition, including tires with good tread and correct air pressure levels, correct level of lubricants and coolant, safe spare tire and jack, emergency supplies of food and water, and a mobile phone or portable citizens band radio.
  • Have each driver clearly understand the route plan. A safe route plan will allow adequate time to drive to and from the starting and pickup points during hours of good visibility.
  • Have each driver understand the principles of safe defensive driving. These include keeping at least one car length between the driver and the car ahead of him for each 10 miles per hour speed and to have an escape route planned to avoid accidents that may appear ahead.
  • The completion of a safe driving course and careful study of state driver's license manuals are highly recommended.
  • Ideally, there will be at least two adults in each car. As a minimum, unless they are parent and child, there must never be one adult and one Scout in a car.
  • Be sure to observe the guidelines on travel times on the tour permit. The best plan for safety is to have drivers take turns driving so that while one person is driving the other person can be resting. Be sure to take rest stops.
  • Reasonable Travel Speed and Using Safe Vehicles

Safety During the Outing

To be safe during a Scout outing, study carefully the safety issues that you may encounter for the kind of Scout activity you are planning. The Guide to Safe Scouting and BSA Fieldbook contain extensive information on general Scout safety topics.

Here are some points to consider:

1. Know the area where you are going. Be prepared—Know where water will be available. Know where you are by noting landmarks and using navigational aids such as GPS tools and map and compass.

2. Know the special medical needs of any participant (such as diabetes medications) so that you can be alert to needs being met on a timely basis.

3. Safety in hiking requires that you know where you are stepping. You should step without putting all your weight down until you are sure of your footing. A sprained ankle, torn ligament or broken bone can be avoided by taking care with your footing. A walking stick can be valuable for safe hiking.  Safety in hiking requires that you know where you are and can safely find your way back. The backward-look method of navigation is simple and effective. Look back while hiking to recognize the landmarks you will need for your return trip.

4. Use the buddy system. This system is well-known in the Scout Safe Swim Defense plan but is useful in all Scout activities. In brief, each Scout has another Scout as his "buddy." Each Scout then looks out for the other Scout. In high-adventure hiking, for example, a Scout may spot a need of his buddy Scout (backpack coming untied, for example) that he can then share with his buddy."

5. Be safe in bear country. Bears are attracted by "smellables," so a basic rule in avoiding bears is either to avoid taking items on a trip that they like to smell or, if the item is necessary, to keep it in a tightly sealed container.

6. Weather is a major factor in conducting a safe Scout outing. It can be a tough decision to cancel a trip (either before or during the event) if the weather turns bad. Remember that the overriding concern is the Scouts' safety. You must let responsible persons know where you are heading so you can be located if trouble develops.

7. Trees are heavy objects and occasionally fall unexpectedly if their root structure fails. Always inspect trees before pitching tents or conducting activities near them. Review safety procedures for tree cutting with ax and saw. A downed tree is a heavy object, so take precautions that you are not standing near or on a downed tree as it may roll and move unpredictably.

8. Take care of yourself as an adult leader. Your physical condition and well-being are extremely important. Your Scouts have tremendous energy, but their energy can run out quickly. Set a good example for the Scouts, but don't feel that your needs must come last. Remember that if something happens, YOU are the one whose strength, endurance, and good judgment will make the difference. Get plenty of sleep, and keep yourself well-fed and hydrated. When possible, take naps if the Scouts have kept you awake.

For further information see the Guide to Safe Scouting and the BSA Fieldbook #32067 which are available for purchase at your local Scout Shop.

Conclusion

The objective of any Scout outing is to develop character, citizenship, and fitness. The Scout Oath and the Scout Law are valuable life principles that can contribute to safety in a Scout outing. Safety is an important part of Scouting and must be an essential part of all outdoor skills instruction. This training has outlined key points that will help you plan and conduct a safe Scout outing.

Each of the resources below has valuable information on safe Scouting, and you are encouraged to study each of them.