GSEM Volunteer Essentials

• Girl Scouts Safety Standards and Guidelines, which apply to all Girl Scout activities, including requirements for adult supervision, permission slips, preparation, field trips and overnight trips, and other vital information. • Activities that are not permitted by Girl Scouts of the USA and actions that girls and volunteers should not take. • Policies surrounding chartered aircraft trips and aviation. • First aid and overall health information. • Standards for well-being and inclusivity along with ways to include Girl Scouts with disabilities and ways to ensure girls’ emotional safety. • Individual safety activity checkpoints for specific activities—such as camping, internet use, and water sports that provide activity-specific safety information. The document is laid out in three primary sections, Safety Standards and Guidelines, Activities at a Glance, and individual safety activity checkpoint pages. • Girl Scouts’ Activities at a Glance table provides a quick look at the safety standards for that activity with a focus on two critical points to keep in mind when considering and planning activities for you troop: o age-appropriate activities and participation by grade level, and o whether prior approval from your council is required before girls participate in a specific activity. • Individual Safety Activity Checkpoint pages provide activity-specific safety measures and guidance on the individual activities that troops and girls may choose participate in.

What To Do If There Is an Accident

Although you hope the worst never happens, you must observe council procedures for handling accidents and fatalities. At the scene of an accident, first provide all possible care for the injured person(s). Follow established council procedures for obtaining medical assistance and immediately reporting the emergency. To do this, you must always have on hand the telephone number of your council, parents/guardians, and emergency services such as the police, fire department or hospital.

When an accident occurs:

Remain calm

•

• Do not approach if doing so places you at risk • Give priority attention to providing all possible care for injured persons. If there is any possibility of a head, neck or back injury, do not move the injured person unless they are in immediate danger • Contact emergency medical personnel and law enforcement officials as appropriate • If at a Girl Scout event or function, notify the volunteer or staff member in charge. Provide them with the injured person’s Health History or Adult Activity Waiver form

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