Healthy, Safe and PreparedThe Best Way to Camp

Girl Scouts of Eastern

Massachusetts

Healthy, Safe and PreparedThe Best Way to Camp

• Being prepared is the safest and smartest way to prevent accidents and handle emergencies. Safety requires having a plan that adults and girls work on together.

• Please have access to Volunteer Essentials and the Service Activity Checkpoints as you review the information in the module.

• Complete the questions at the end and bring the answers to your camping training.

• Involve the girls in the creation of a safety plan.

• Implement appropriate sanitation and food handling procedures.

• Teach girls the fine points of coexisting with outdoor neighbors (e.g. plants, animals, insects).

• Find important health and safety information in Volunteer Essentials and the Safety Activity Checkpoints.

At the end of this module you will be able to:

Healthy, Safe and PreparedThe Best Way to Camp

Both girls and adults should clearly understand the importance of planning for security and safety. Plans and precautions are an important part of the camping experience and should never be regarded lightly. In the following slides you will learn some basic information about:•Creating a Safety Plan•Responding to an emergency•First Aid response•Food and Sanitation guidelines•Living with outdoor neighbors: plants, animals and insects•Where to find important information in Volunteer Essentials and the Safety Activity Checkpoints.

Creating a Safety Plan

• Involve the girls.– Talk with them about general safety issues– Work on safety awards as preparation for the trip– Get feedback on their health and safety concerns

• Review Volunteer Essentials and the Safety Activity Checkpoints to guide your planning, especially in regards to:– Number of girls per adult– Type of equipment needed

• A volunteer fully trained in and solely responsible for First Aid and CPR must be in attendance on the trip.

• Establish a health and safety plan (group agreement) with girls and troop volunteers.

• Always carry council contact information.

• Check site information for emergency procedures.

• Review emergency procedures with girls upon arrival at the site.

• In Case of Fire – Know all exits out of the building and site. Practice fire drill as soon as practical on arrival.

• Lost Person (Staying Found) – When outside the lodge, use a buddy system (2 person or 4 person). Have a plan for emergency signals (flashing light, whistle).

• Weather Conditions – Know the weather forecast and plan accordingly. Consult local forecasts and/or www.weather.com. Seek shelter during storms or to escape bitter cold or sweltering heat. If this is a council sponsored event, call the GSEM weather cancellations line at: 617.350.8338.

Responding to Emergencies

• Review Volunteer Essentials pages 38-40 for information pertaining to emergency care and First Aid/CPR and procedures for accidents.

• Bring a First Aid Kit on every outing. Review the American Red Cross’ Anatomy of a First Aid Kit for recommended content.

– Ensure that the GSEM Emergency Procedures card is in every first aid kit.

• Know the location of the hospital closest to camp site. – These are posted in the lodges at council sites.– For non-council sites, post this information by the phone.

• Review first aid procedures with girls.

• Be aware of current medical conditions of girls in troop and how to care for these. Seek permission from parents to assist the girls with taking medications.

First Aid

• All medications should be given to the designated troop volunteer or to the First Aider to dispense.

• Keep medications in the original container and have only the number necessary for the duration of the trip.

• Must have written permission from the parents to dispense any over the counter medication (i.e. Tylenol, Benadryl, etc.) to a girl.

• Troop volunteer must be informed of any girl who needs to carry and administer her own medications (such as an inhaler or epi-pen).

Medications

Hand washing Stations• Set up hand washing stations at

bathrooms and in kitchen area. Use established facilities at council sites.

• Keep areas clean and stocked with soap/sanitizers.

• If necessary, set up a separate station near the kitchen for dishwashing.

Sanitation and Food Handling

Additional information on dishwashing is found in the Camping Skills for Volunteers posted on the GSEM website:

http://www.girlscoutseasternmass.org/Volunteer/volsTroopCampingTrainingManual.pdf

Food Preparation and Handling

• Use only clean and sanitized utensils and equipment (or plastic/paper ware)

• Wash dishes and utensils in hot water (at least 100° F), rinsed in similarly hot water, and rinsed again in a mild solution of water and bleach as a sanitizing agent.

• Clean and sanitize, with a mild bleach and water solution, all surfaces used during the preparation of food.

Sanitation and Food Handling

Food Storage• Minimize the time that foods

remain in the “temperature danger zone” (40° F - 140° F).

• Keep hot food warm and covered with plastic wrap until just prior to serving.

• Keep cold food refrigerated until just prior to service.

• Cover left-over food with plastic wrap and refrigerate or store in a manner proper to the food item.

Sanitation and Food Handling

• Teach girls to be safe, respectful and aware of their outdoor surroundings.

• When camping, you are not alone. The troop is actually visiting the home of other living things, such as plants, animals and insects.

Coexisting with your outdoor neighbors

INSECTS

Coexisting with your outdoor neighbors

Mosquitoes• Mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn.• When outdoors, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and socks.• Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) in concentrations of

20-30%.• Avoid standing water; mosquitoes can multiply in as little as 4 days in

standing or still water.• Do not use scented soaps or lotions; mosquitoes are attracted to sweet

odors• Troops camping in the summer will hear about the Eastern Equine

Encephalitis Virus (EEEV), a rare mosquito borne illness. Regular precautions against mosquito bites are the best precaution against EEEV. For more information about EEEV, visit the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/Arbor/eeefact.htm

**Note: Each girl must bring her own bug repellent from home**

INSECTS

Coexisting with your outdoor neighbors

Ticks• Ticks live in moist and humid environments,

particularly in or near wooded or grassy areas. • Always walk in the center of trails. • Wear light-colors to make it easier to see ticks on your clothing.• Wear a tight weave sock and tuck your pant legs into your socks so that

ticks cannot crawl inside of your pant legs.• Check your body for ticks after being outdoors in areas where ticks

thrive. Be sure to check many areas, including:Under the arms Around the waist In and around the ears On the inside of your leg Back of the knees Inside your belly button

• Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) in concentrations of 20-30%.

• To remove ticks the troop first aider should refer to their first aid book for instructions.

**Note: Each girl must bring her own bug repellent.**

ANIMALS

Coexisting with your outdoor neighbors

•Campers should observe and not disturb any creature, even small ones like, insects, frogs and birds. Campers should not attempt to pick up or pet any wild animal.

•Remove garbage from the site whenever you are leaving the camp area and at night. Careful clean up of camp area will keep insects and animals away.

•Store food away from sleeping areas (indoors or in a car, if possible.)•Remind girls to store gum, candy or snacks with the troop food.•Roll sleeping bags to avoid having critters crawl into them during the day.•RABIES: Animals with rabies will act differently than other animals of its kind. They may drool, seem paralyzed, act erractically, be irritable or strangely quiet; they may attack instead of run away. Nocturnal animals may come out in the day.

•NEVER attempt to interact with an animal that appears rabid.•Seek immediate medical attention if a camper is bitten.

POISONOUS PLANTSPreventing a Scratchy Situation•Avoid Contact!•Educate yourself and girls as to the various forms of poisonous plant life. •Poison Sumac: 7-13 staggered leaflets with one on the tip of the plant•Wear long sleeves and pants and closed toed shoes and socks if camping or hiking in wooded and grassy areas.

What To Do If Exposed•Follow emergency guidelines•Cleanse area with plain soap and water.•Remove and isolate all clothing, shoes, and tools that might have been exposed. Wash if possible.•Contact parents. If symptoms develop, girls will need to go home.

Poison Ivy and Poison Oak“Leaves of three, let it be.”

Coexisting with your outdoor neighbors

Volunteer Essentials Chapter Four: Safety Wise

Safety Activity Checkpoints Camping Activities Water Sports Land Sports

Group Camping Canoeing ArcheryOutdoor Cooking Fishing Challenge CoursesHiking Kayaking GeocachingOrienteering Row boating

SwimmingTubing

Volunteer Essentials and the Safety Activity Checkpoints provide volunteers with procedures, practices and guidelines to maintain a safe Girl Scout program and to protect the well-being of every Girl Scout. You can find these documents posted on the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts website. Click on the links below to review these documents. Pay special attention to the following information:

Safety Documents

Answer the following questions and indicate where you found the information.

1. What level first-aider is needed for group camping? 2. Where do you keep the health histories of the girls when you go camping?3. Your Brownie troop of 22 girls is planning a group camping experience. How

many troop volunteers do you need?4. If all of your girls have completed Annual Permission Forms, do you still need

to ask the parents/guardians to submit a permission form for your camping trip?

5. What kind of outdoor cooking is recommended for Daisies?

Bring completed questions to your training session.

Safety Search and Find

1. Where should you set up hand washing stations?

2. What is the temperature danger zone for food?3. What should campers do when encountering

animals in the wilderness?4. What is the best prevention against infections

from poisonous plants?

Bring completed questions to your training session.

Questions for Home Study