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More and more in today's world, leaders need to consider not only how to keep the girls safe from accidents but also safe from other people.
Consider the items below to help ensure a safe trip.
- Girls should always use the buddy system (stay with a buddy at all times).
- Train the girls on how to react to a stranger in the site. Ask at your facility if they have a procedure for identifying and responding to strangers.
- Plan for proper adult supervision. Remember the girl/adult ratio when you leave your meeting place. In Chapter 3 you studied the chart which tells how many adults your troop needs on an outing or overnight.
- Train the extra adults! You let the girls know what is expected of them; do the same with the adults!
- If you are at a public park or campsite, check with the supervisor or local law enforcement on the security history of the site. Would they stay there with girls?
- Before you go, inform law enforcement officials of where you plan to stay. Ask if they can increase patrols in the area.
- If at all possible, visit the site before you go with girls. Look for:
- locking doors, fencing or other perimeter security
- location of telephone and site manager's office
- available lighting
- availability of cell phone coverage at this site
- other public buildings nearby, and do they make you more or less comfortable with the site? (for example, would you feel safer knowing the sheriff's office or a bar was ¼ mile away?)
- what other groups will use the site when you are there
- Later, when you have completed your skills courses and plan a camping trip with your girls, also check:
- distance from tent sites to toilet facilities
- whether tents can be pitched within sight of each other
- how close tent sites are to roads or other boundaries
- nearby parking so that you can safely store your equipment in your car
- Firearms are a danger to the girls. If you feel you need firearms for protection at the site, choose another site. Leave firearms at home.
- Leave pets at home. You'll want to focus on your Girl Scouts. Imagine how torn you'd be if something happened to your pet, but your responsibility was to your girls first.
- Develop an alarm system to signal your girls in an emergency.
- Design a plan to evacuate the girls if an emergency arises (flooding, tornado, or wildfire, for example). Do you have a central meeting place? Do you have enough cars? If not, how will you quickly arrange transportation?
- Establish clear limits for girls to roam within the property boundaries (for instance, within sight of the shelter...)
- If males accompany the group, they will need separate sleeping and toilet facilities.
- Girl Scout activities are for registered Girl Scouts. Bringing other children is inappropriate. Programs are developed for the members and non-members are not covered by Girl Scout insurance. Extra insurance must be purchased. Contact your council.
In some instances you may stay in a public facility such as a hotel, dormitory, or gymnasium. Some tips for hotel security and safety :
- Keep room doors locked; develop a special code word that must be spoken before the door is opened.
- Share room numbers privately rather than by mentioning them in public.
- Plan for emergency evacuation. Locate emergency exits, fire alarms, and gathering spots. Keep a flashlight, key, wallet and ID on the bedside table.
- Ensure that inappropriate videos are not accessible through TVs in the girls' rooms.
• The course handout has two activities for you to do with girls to help them practice being safe around other people.
Let's Review:
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