Safety

Our camp counselors and staff are thoroughly interviewed, carefully selected, and specially trained to provide campers with thoughtful, spiritual, and compassionate attention. Our incredible staff help make camp an exceptional experience for families.

We are pleased to say that more than 55% of our staff return to work the next summer, ensuring lots of valuable experience in the Canyon. The majority of our referrals for new hires come from our existing staff, who we trust most to bring us great people.

We get to know each applicant through a rigorous application and interview process. We ask intentional questions about their story, their interests, their strengths and weaknesses, and their faith. Seasonal staff applicants are also required to submit two references. In addition, we complete thorough background checks on all levels of staff and volunteers at camp for both in-state and out-of-state hires.

We work hard to hire people with the highest relational abilities, integrity, personal and spiritual maturity, enthusiasm for life, and an aptitude for working with families.

Our summer staff receive 40-80 hours (varies by position) of intensive job-specific training. Every staff member attends sessions on mental health awareness, social and emotional care of others, abuse awareness and prevention, as well as many practical activity and facilitation trainings.

Our counselors receive additional training in how to engage in ministry at Family Camp. We discuss how to lovingly walk alongside families with questions about faith and life. We teach helpful strategies for getting to know families well. We talk in depth about how to listen and help families feel heard. We practice facilitating meaningful discussion. Our goal is to create a healthy, encouraging environment during camp so that families can be themselves without fear of judgment or criticism from anyone.

We pack in a LOT of information during our staff training sessions, and we work hard with our staff in order to equip them to care for families with the highest level of hospitality and love.

At Family Camp, we want to do everything in our power to keep families safe from all forms of abuse. We are committed to educating every staff member in how to look for and stop potential threats and how to report them.

All summer staff are required to complete a comprehensive online course prior to arriving at camp. This course teaches and tests each person on facts about sexual abuse awareness and prevention. During our Staff Training Week we discuss, with our staff, the process of reporting any suspected abuse and the “see something, say something” method. In addition, we have assembled a team of On-Call Mental Health Consultants who are trained professionals and available, on-call, throughout the summer to provide phone consultation on any manner of abuse and/or mental health related issues.

With regard to all activities, Family Camp is committed to the highest quality experience, excellence in training, professional construction to industry standards, comprehensive inspections, and the best equipment in the industry. This applies to high ropes activites, target sports, mountain biking, and waterfront activities.

To ensure the highest level of risk management for our families, all staff who lead or supervise any activity must go through a thorough training and evaluation process.

For our high ropes activities, Family Camp contracts with a third-party Professional Vendor certified by the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) to service and inspect all of our challenge course elements and equipment on a yearly basis. We also contract with this accredited vendor to perform an intensive, 40-hour, on-site training which supplies our high ropes facilitators with an ACCT Level 1 certification. Our policy is that any use of any high ropes element must be under the direct supervision of a facilitator currently certified for that element.

For all activities in the Canyon, we encourage families to seek their own level of challenge, and we do not coerce anyone to participate.

Family Camp is committed to meeting or exceeding the industry standards for waterfront policies and procedures which are set by the American Red Cross.

To ensure the highest level of risk management for our guests during swim time, all waterfront staff must go through a rigorous training and evaluation process before they may lead or supervise a waterfront activity. All waterfront staff are trained to respond to any emergency or crisis that might arise and are equipped by a robust Emergency Action Plan.

We also allow parents to swim with their own children at their own risk outside of the official swim time.

Our emergency action plan accounts for a wide variety of situations, and we most often trigger this plan because of inclement weather. We monitor weather conditions at all times. On-call staff monitor flood risk 24/7 onsite, and our system has built-in redundancies:

• Sonar measurement of the river level
• Local rain gauge readers
• Responding to official flood warnings or flood watches
• In-person river checks

Each casita is equipped with a flipchart that provides clear guidance for how to respond to any emergency, including how and where to seek higher ground. Families are oriented to this flip chart upon arrival.

In the event of a flood, our operations staff communicates directly with Family Camp staff via 2-way radio. They provide precise instructions to each campsite as needed.

Cabin and casita locations relative to the river varies in each campsite. Our cabins have never flooded from rising water, and higher ground is nearby each of our campsites.

Our full-time family camp directors and our operations team are deeply committed to maintaining the excellence and safety of our camp facilities and grounds. All buildings and property are surveyed daily for potential hazards, and we address issues quickly as they arise.

Our staff are strategic and thoughtful about protecting families during adverse weather. We control for hazardous terrain, trees, and limbs. We regularly maintain playfields, roads, and trails. And we have robust Emergency Action Plans in place for any situations which may arise on our property including but not limited to fire, flood, active shooter, and lost persons on property.

We have full-time staff in the Canyon at all times who are trained in the prevention of and response to any type of emergency or crisis in the Canyon. In addition to that, our summer staff are trained to implement our Emergency Action Plans.

We use vehicles to transport families to activities outside the immediate boundaries of Headwaters. All passengers are required to be seated in trailers, outfitted with benches and safety rails.

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