Accidents happen. It’s what happens after the accident that can turn a bad experience into something out of a parent’s nightmare.
If the accident is at summer camp, when a child is under someone else’s care, a parent may be worried that the “worst-case scenario” is just that and if something does happen, their child won’t be cared for in the safest possible manner.
“You can’t come out and say, ‘We have an absolutely safe camp,’” says David Roskos, executive director of Red Oak Camp in Kirtland. “What you can say (to parents) is ‘we do everything we can to mitigate any kind of hazards.’ Mitigating risk is one of the most important jobs an executive director has.”
For Dave Devey, director of Falcon Camp in Carrollton, having an American Camp Association (ACA) accreditation is important. Devey’s camp provides children with many activities, including an extensive horseback riding program.
ACA accreditation helps
“I think there are two primary keys that anyone can go by, and one is to be an accredited camp by the ACA because there’s a set of standards involved in that,” Devey says. “It doesn’t just include health in terms of the infirmary, but good awareness all the way around camp. The other thing would be (that) my insurance people are very helpful in pointing out risk management.”
While Red Oak also is ACA-accredited, Roskos says, parents still have to ask questions when choosing a camp. The first questions might be “what is your ACA accreditation score?” Another might be “how strictly does the camp follow the ACA’s almost 300 standards?”
“If camps are accredited and using the ACA camp logo, you can be assured that they are confident in inviting outside people, at least every three years, to come in and look at them and answer these 290 questions about health and safety,” says Dennis Elliot, American Camp Association’s Ohio executive. “They have to pay to get that done. They are people who are committed to supporting a professional association who keep standards current.”
Preparation is key
Having a good relationship with local protective services can be vital when an accident does occur.
“They know your camp maps. You give them a tour,” Roskos says. “Your staff has all their emergency numbers in their cell phones. We’ve had EMS out before, but matters were handled within seven minutes of the call. Everybody was fine.”
Emergency drills that involve the fire department or other first responders help train camp staff, as well as local emergency crews. Training is a major part of any camp operation.
“I have a ropes course manager who is in charge of making sure everyone goes through the procedures of operating the course,” Roskos says. “We have operating procedures that cover who can go on this activity, what do they have to do, how they run the activity and what the emergency response is if something occurs during that activity.”
Laura Webster, equestrian director at Andrews Osborne Academy’s equestrian camps, says adult staff carries with them the camper’s information, including waivers and emergency contacts in a binder whenever they go off-campus.
“We make sure that the information they would need in case of an accident is readily available,” Webster says.
According to Devey, he and his staff take time during the off-season to review the camp’s emergency plans.
“We get information from the local stat care places,” he says. “One now has Saturday evening hours, so if the other is closed over the weekend, here’s where we are going. That sounds simple, but those are the things we sit down in the winter and plan. That’s part of what we do.”
Camps also have to plan for natural disasters, not just injuries. Fortunately, none of the camps interviewed have had any major accidents or issues.
“Several years ago, we had a young man who fell on a hike and broke his wrist,” Devey says. “We had to get him up through the woods to get to the road where we could transport him into town.
“We have had a couple of storms in the off-season with trees down, but not when anyone’s been around. Good for us. I’d love to tell you good planning had everything to do with that, but sometimes planning and preparation are part of it and sometimes disasters are just that … disasters.”
Visit camp first
When looking at camps, if parents have concerns, many camp officials say the best policy is to ask.
Parents should ask every question they can think of and be satisfied with the answers, Devey says. “If you want to ask questions about camp and you’re having trouble getting through to someone, (then) someone doesn’t want to give you the time. I would go look somewhere else.”
Most camps have open houses that help parents feel more comfortable about the setting, but to also get their questions answered.
“We try to have several open houses during the winter so parents can come and see the facilities even if they are covered in snow,” Roskos says. “They can talk to me and others in the camp. Come out and have a tour and meet the families.”
At Falcon Camp, Devey prefers that parents see the camp in the spring without the snow cover. He plans an open house prior to the first day of camp to answer questions and allow parents and campers to get that all-important first look.
“What I say to brand-new parents, because of the nature of our registration process, is that they have to sign up now if they want to get in. If they come down and look at camp at the beginning of the season, come to our open house and they don’t like what they see, I’ll give their money back,” he says.
Sometimes visiting the camp has to be preplanned.
“To go see a camp in the off –season, you get a sense of where it is and sort of what the facility looks like to some extent, but it doesn’t give you a true sense of what the camp is about or the people that make that happen,” Devey says. “It would be nice to visit a camp when it’s in session.”
While a parent is visiting the camp, Devey says, it’s important to take note of the maintenance of the facility. Things like horses that are healthy and a barn that is neat and organized are important.
Andrews Osborne’s Webster recommends using common sense when touring a camp, particular one with a horse program.
“You can tell pretty quickly if it’s not a really well-kept facility,” she says. “There should not be any employees smoking anywhere. It should be clean and well-organized. The horses, if they are healthy and well fed, will look healthy and well fed. If they don’t, you pretty much know.
“I always encourage parents to trust their instincts when it comes to this for sure. Come and see what we have here before they even commit or talk to someone who has been here. It’s important to know where your children are and who is going to be taking care of them.”
Devey also tells parents to go with their gut feeling. If something doesn’t feel right, then look elsewhere.
“I think it’s important to be able to meet the key players involved,” he says. “To me, if you’re going to be taking care of my child I want to look you in the eye. I want that comfort level. Here’s the person responsible for my child. I want to have some level of trust in that.”
