Pre-course work for Troop Camping Skills Training

1. Gi r l Sc out s of
Eas t er n
M s ac hus et t s
as
Heal t hy, Saf e and Pr epar ed
Th e Be s t Way t o Camp

2. Healthy, Safe and Prepared
The 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.

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

4. Healthy, Safe and Prepared
The 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.

5. 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.

6. Responding to Emergencies
• 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.

7. First Aid
• 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.

8. Medications
• 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).

9. Sanitation and Food Handling
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.
Additional information on dishwashing is found in the Camping Skills for
Volunteers posted on the GSEM website: http://www.girlscoutseasternmass.org/
Volunteer/volsTroopCampingTrainingManual.pdf

10. Sanitation and Food Handling
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.

11. 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.

12. Coexisting with your outdoor
neighbors
• 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.

13. Coexisting with your outdoor
neighbors
INSECTS
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**

14. Coexisting with your outdoor
neighbors
INSECTS
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.**

15. Coexisting with your outdoor
neighbors
ANIMALS
•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.

16. Coexisting with your outdoor
neighbors
POISONOUS PLANTS
Preventing 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 Poison Ivy and Poison Oak
•Follow emergency guidelines “Leaves of three, let it be.”
•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.

17. Safety Documents
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:
Volunteer Essentials
Chapter Four: Safety Wise
Safety Activity Checkpoints
Camping Activities Water Sports Land Sports
Group Camping Canoeing Archery
Outdoor Cooking Fishing Challenge Courses
Hiking Kayaking Geocaching
Orienteering Row boating
Swimming
Tubing

18. Safety Search and Find
Answer the following questions and indicate where you found the
information.
3. What level first-aider is needed for group camping?
4. Where do you keep the health histories of the girls when you go camping?
5. Your Brownie troop of 22 girls is planning a group camping experience. How
many troop volunteers do you need?
6. 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?
7. What kind of outdoor cooking is recommended for Daisies?
Bring completed questions to your training session.

19. Questions for Home Study
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.