Spring 2024 Lead & Learn

Spring 2024

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 the number of adults 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 waterfront personnel and 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 Waterfront Personnel There are four essential trained waterfront personnel roles for small craft activities: primary trained personnel, secondary trained personnel, watcher, and general first aider. Primary trained personnel: This is the main person directly in charge of the waterfront during an activity. 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 GSEM Waterfront Manual. This individual must be at least 18 years old. Secondary trained personnel: This individual assists the primary trained personnel in overseeing the waterfront during an activity. This individual must be at least 16 years old (at least 18 for lifeguards), must have completed one of the following courses 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 (only ARC lifeguard certification is recognized by GSEM) Watcher: A watcher continually monitors the water while activity participants are out in their craft. No outside training is 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 American Red Cross 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. Trained Personnel For Small Craft Activities There must be one primary and one secondary trained personnel present during any small craft activity allowed under Safety Activity Checkpoints . There must also be a minimum of one watcher present, depending on the number of girls participating and their program level(s). Consult the small craft ratio and trained personnel table that follows for the exact number of watchers needed. There must also be at least one general first aider present during any small craft activity. Any of the other trained personnel roles may also hold the general first aider role. Trained personnel roles may be covered by properly trained professional guides or These roles are defined below, along with the training requirements for each:

14 Lead & Learn Spring 2024