Spring 2023 Lead & Learn

Spring 2023

Canoeing and Sailing With Your Troop

Summer means being out on the water, and taking your troop on a canoe, sailboat, or other small craft outing could be just the adventure they’re looking for! But where do you start? Learn how many adults are needed and what training is required for common small craft activities in the Small Craft Activity Adult-to-Girl Ratios and Trained Personnel Requirements table on the next page, along with the training requirements defined below. This basic information covers outings on and off Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri-owned property. Details for the required courses we offer may be found in the Aquatics and First Aid , CPR and Mental Wellness sections of the course catalog.

Trained Personnel

There are four essential trained personnel roles for small craft activities: primary trained personnel, secondary trained personnel, watcher, and general first aider.

These roles are defined below, along with the training requirements for each:

Primary trained personnel: Must have completed the Girl Scouts Small Craft Safety (SCS) learning path relevant to the activity (SCS: Canoeing, SCS: Moving Water, or SCS: Sailing) and signed Appendix D of the GSEMWaterfront Manual. This individual must be at least 18 years old. Secondary trained personnel: Must have completed one of the following and signed Appendix D of the GSEM Waterfront Manual: • SCS: Canoeing, SCS: Moving Water, or SCS: Sailing (as appropriate) • Basic Water Rescue • American Red Cross (ARC) lifeguard certification plus GSEM Lifeguard In-Service Training Watcher: No outside training required, but the primary trained personnel will instruct watchers of their responsibilities and role expectations before the small craft activity begins. Watchers will remain on the waterfront during small craft activities on flat water, and will be on the water during small craft activities on moving water. Watchers must be at least 16 years old. Basic Water Rescue training is recommended for watchers, but not required. General First Aider: Must be certified in ARC Adult & Pediatric First Aid, CPR/AED or hold an equivalent certification recognized by GSEM. Small craft activities that take place in locations where it would take EMS over 30 minutes to arrive during an emergency must additionally be certified in Wilderness & Remote First Aid. The general first aider may also serve in one of the other trained personnel roles. This individual must be at least 16 years old (at least 18 for lifeguards). Only ARC lifeguard certification is recognized by GSEM.

14 Lead & Learn Spring 2023