Off-site trip leaders: selecting appropriate staff

Off-site trip programs are growing attractions at camps. Outings for ice cream and movies, tours of Washington, D.C., or white river rafting adventures - trips can be great marketing and camper retention tools.

The difference between a camp that provides an okay trip and a camp that provides a fantastic experience often comes down to the staff members sent on trips. Well-trained off-site trip leaders have the ability to turn the experience into a positive educational lesson. As appointed representatives of the camp director, off-site trip leaders can affect community perceptions and public relations efforts of the camp. Most importantly, good off-site trip leaders can eliminate many concerns before they become problems or dangerous conditions.

At the main camp site, there are many people to see potential camper and staff physical or behavioral problems; there are health centers to care for injuries or illness, communication systems, administrative staff, and risk management plans to deal with almost every situation. Off-site activities give up most of the administrative control and put responsibility and trust in the supervisory staff. Most directors are familiar with the meaning of the legal term in loco parentis, meaning the director is acting "in the absence of the parents." Off-site-trip leaders act in loco director, "in the absence of the director."

Staff selection criteria

Directors must look beyond staff members' availability as justification for sending them on off-site trips and look to the parameters of the job and the ability of staff members to act responsibly in loco director. The American Camping Association Standards G-1 for Trip and Travel emphasize that trained staff leaders should implement good judgement in addressing safety and hazard exposures. Other trip and travel standards provide a framework for decisions and experiences that may be unique or fall outside the planned camp experience. How do you determine and document a trip leader's good judgement? Directors must examine the criteria that determines a staff member's ability to effectively supervise trips, as well as criteria for determining a staff member's unsuitability to lead a trip.

ACA standard G-1 calls for trip leaders to be at least 21 years old. The intent of the standard is to ensure that staff have sufficient experience to make decisions that fall outside of staff training. The Association for Experiential Education has published articles that tie good judgement to personal (ethical) character in wilderness trip leaders. Ideally, the camp director will select staff who have been observed to make good decisions over the course of at least one summer. However, the director may have to rely on interviews, reference checks, and observations during staff training. Interviews should be regarded as an opportunity to inquire about applicants' experiences with youth and their decision-making skills. One drawback of this approach is that interviews are limited in their ability to predict future behavior.

Staff training may provide the director the greatest opportunity to evaluate potential off-site trip leaders. Some personality traits that should be evaluated and documented to justify or defy the suitability of staff include:

* Complacency

This is often a product of boredom, distraction, lack of awareness, or failure to question old habits or new behaviors. Routine activities can engender complacency.

* Overconfidence

Skills of young staff often outpace experience levels. Although the staff may know how to conduct an activity, they may not be able to do it safely.

* Impatience

Off-site trips demand a certain degree of patience. Hurrying back to camp to meet a schedule can cause an accident. Directors might clarify that the safety of the group is a priority over meeting a schedule.

* Reactions to peer pressure

Occasionally subtle, poor reactions usually lead to foolish behavior.

* Sense of immortality

Most common with adventure and extended-trip staff, this includes casual behavior that staff would never allow of participants. Staff members, in this case, are poor role models.

* Accuracy

Accuracy and clarity of information are critical in an emergency. Inaccurate assumptions based on prior practices also lead to accidents.

* Distractions

Trip objectives, personal issues, physical needs, environmental conditions, and youth who demand attention can distract staff from their first priority: the safety of the group. All other duties are secondary to safety.

If the judgment and leadership qualities the director seeks are not demonstrated during staff training, it is inappropriate to put staff members' or campers' safety at risk by allowing the trip to take place.

Minimum counselor-to-camper ratios are a combination of standards G-2 and C-4. The staff-to-camper ratio for off-site trips should be higher than that maintained at camp because the control and resources of the camp are no longer available to the same degree. These staff members are representatives of the camp; selecting mature staff who will make positive impressions is important. Factors to examine when establishing counselor-to-camper ratios and staff qualifications include:

* the hazards and exposures of the activity

* the amount of unsupervised time available to youth without a check-in

* whether or not emergency response plans allow for sufficient supervision, even if staff members are called away or injured

* the medical conditions and abilities of participants

* environmental conditions

* experience levels of staff and participants.

Medical considerations

Off-site trips deserve a separate medical screening process or, at a minimum, a review of participants' health forms by the camp's medical professional and the trip leader. Is medical screening of participants part of your off-site leaders' job?

Consider the response time for medical help to arrive. First aid and CPR may be inadequate to treat many injuries, including allergic reactions to food and bee stings and medication problems which would normally have been averted or treated at the camp. Are your off-site leaders medically qualified and equipped to handle such emergencies?

Unfortunately, not all people who come to camp are healthy and not all activities are appropriate for everyone. What guidelines do you provide trip leaders for evacuating or pulling a camper out of a trip? Developing a decision tree or flow chart for potential problems can be a useful tool for helping staff understand the limits of their responsibilities and the appropriate times to call for help. Most camp directors would agree that behavior or health conditions that threaten the safety of others is cause for removing a participant from the activity. An important factor in planning off-site trips is making sure that the trip leaders are qualified to come to this conclusion. Some camp programs have qualified staff to deal with medical problems, therapeutic counseling, and behavioral issues at camp but do not include them on the field trips.

Emergency aids

Technology is improving our opportunities to expand off-site leaders' emergency preparedness. Cellular phone services are expanding their coverage ranges; satellite transmissions will soon cover remote regions. While this does not remove the need for medically qualified staff, it does offer the opportunity to reduce the response time of roadside or medical help, possibly preventing a catastrophe.

Photo identification cards with emergency telephone numbers and medical data can be made for staff and participants. Having identification cards in a trip leader's possession might prove invaluable for authorities attempting to find lost campers. Also, staff identification with a camp logo might garner a more cooperative attitude from a stranger.

Risk management plans, staff training, state of the art equipment, certifications, and medical screening are good tools in providing a safe experience for off-site trips. The critical factor is starting with staff members who can use those tools as a framework for decision making in the director's absence. Take the time to reevaluate your off-site leaders for this summer and ask yourself if they have the "right stuff."

RELATED ARTICLE: Standards for Trips

American Camping Association's camp standards requirements for trips vary depending on the length of time groups are away from the primary support and resources of the camp. Field trips and short overnight trips, up to two nights long, are covered primarily in D-13 through D-20 in the Program section of ACA's standards manual. Trips of three nights or more, where groups move from site to site, are covered in the G (Trip and Travel) standards. Some standards in Transportation and Administration are applicable to any off-site trip. Even short field trips out of camp require qualified leadership and pre-planning.

Some items to check:

* Someone in camp knows who is in the group, when and where they are going, and the communication plan. (D-15 & B-8)

* Sufficient staff members, trained in where and how to supervise, accompany the group. (C-4, BT-11, & D-14)

* Campers know what to do if separated from the group or approached by a stranger. (B-7)

* Staff know how to get medical help and/or emergency assistance. (D-17 & B-8)

* Staff carry or know how to access health information and emergency release forms for the group. (BT-11 & D-18)

Note: Camps conducting off-site trips should clearly inform parents of the activities that will take place. Some parents may oppose their child's participation in an off-site activity.

Standards for Day and Resident Camps. (1993). Martinsville, IN: American Camping Association.

Will Evans is the Loss Control Specialist for Markel Insurance Company.

COPYRIGHT 1996 American Camping Association
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group