School trips and visits are statistically very safe and the vast majority of incidents on trips can be dealt with by the trip leadership team. Most incidents are a result of the same risks we face in everyday life – medical emergencies, road traffic accidents, trips and falls and pupils becoming separated from the group.

Adventure activities and those activities in and around water should always have enhanced risk management as part of their planning and leader training should include procedures for incidents and emergencies.

Careful planning and consideration of the ‘what-ifs’ and the common ‘traps’ will limit the likelihood of an incident but, of course, all risk cannot be eliminated.  See also Risk Management for school visits.

Comprehensive resources on visit emergencies are provided in OEAP National Guidance.  You should refer to these in any planning or evaluation of your own procedures.

There is a continuum of severity from an incident to an emergency to a critical incident and then a major incident – the categories are defined by what resources are required to manage the incident from the accompanying staff through to the employer and external agencies. 

Below are some key points for consideration

Employer’s Policy – there should be a policy on the management of critical incidents, and this should include incidents off-site and out of School hours and in School holidays. The policy should be ‘tested’ at least annually with a ‘walk-through’ of an incident and awareness that an incident occurring at a weekend or in holiday may have more limited resources available than an incident in School hours.

Training – there is a course for School leaders on the management of visit emergencies (MOVE) provided by specifically accredited Outdoor Education Advisers – For further information contact the RGS  @rgs.org or OEAP direct. LINK:  https://oeapng.info/about-oeap-training/

First aid provision and known medical conditions – part of the visit planning should be to ensure that there is adequate provision of first aid by suitably qualified and experienced staff. How to manage known medical conditions of the pupils and accompanying staff such as anaphylaxis, asthma, diabetes etc should be planned for. For more remote locations in the UK and overseas destinations consider more advanced first aid training and carrying a more comprehensive first aid kit and first aid manual.

Communication – perhaps the most difficult challenge in an incident is keeping control of communication so that the right people have information at the right time. A critical incident is likely to require communication with next of kin, friends, staff and potentially the media. The first hour or so of any incident is key to how communication works as it is difficult to recover control of communication once it has been lost. Include this aspect of any incident in your planning and training.

Access to specialist help and advice – a critical incident is likely to need specialist support which can range from counsellors to legal and media advisors. There are many UK charities which will provide support following events of this kind.

Keep careful records – creating a timeline for the incident and keeping this constantly updated as the incident and its management evolves may prove invaluable at a later stage. Keep records of emails and messages sent, action taken when and by whom and decisions made. In the case of a significant incident, it is likely that there will be a need to recall this information months to years after the event and without a log made at the time there are likely to be errors and omissions in recall.

Support to the group – there are several foreseeable situations when it will be helpful for staff to travel out to the group as quickly as possible. As part of your emergency planning consider who this might be for a particular trip and the logistics of joining the trip. Transport, visas etc.

Checklists -  at times of intense stress for trip leaders an ‘emergency card’ with key prompts will be of significant value as will checklists of action and information required for those acting as a base contact or part of the emergency management team.

Below are examples of content to include in checklists for the first page of a critical incident policy for staff back at the Base / School, and a checklist for an emergency card carried by trip leaders.

 

Immediate Action at the base

  • Gather factual information to assess situation (log sheets)

  • Take immediate action to safeguard pupils and staff

  • Call for emergency services support

  • Assemble your critical incident team and form a plan – appoint an incident manager (directs) and incident secretary (records)

  • Set –up an incident management room (location) and dedicated phone

  • Contact parents/families of affected persons

  • Make arrangements for visitors on site (e.g. police, parents, media)

  • Manage communication - media interest  

  • Do not release, confirm or deny names of those involved

  • If out of hours and traveling into School consider appearance (dress) re media/interviews

  • Inform teaching and support staff

  • Inform students

  • Prepare counselling locations

 

Emergency card to be carried by staff

General Principles

  • Ensure that all staff are briefed for a medical or missing person emergency

  • Ensure that location of student medical details and trip insurance details are known to all staff

  • Manage communication effectively and write things down

 Medical Emergency/Accident

  1. Take steps to prevent injury to others in your charge or in the vicinity. Enlist others to help you and give first aid

  2. Contact the emergency services and tour operator

  3. Arrange documentation required – GHIC, Insurance, Student medical details

  4. Arrange transport and staff supervision

  5. Contact School base-contact (see checklist below) – who will inform parents

  6. Notify the British Embassy/Consulate if an emergency occurs abroad

  7. Manage communication by rest of group; explain why you will not allow students to ’phone home.  Do not name the casualty or give other than brief factual information to local media after liaising with the base contact

  8. Record in writing – nature, date and time of incident; location of incident; names of casualties and details of their injuries; names of others involved so that parents can be reassured; action taken so far; action yet to be taken (and by whom)

  9. No-one in the group should discuss legal liability with other parties, nor sign anything relating to accident liability without clear advice from the employer

Missing Person

  1. Make a plan with all supervising staff – have specific times to meet and review. Do not rely on mobile ’phones

  2. Manage and brief the rest of the group

  3. Ensure a system for communication between staff and base

  4. Contact local emergency services and tour operator; notify the British Embassy/Consulate if an emergency occurs abroad

  5. Contact School base-contact – who will inform parents

  6. Manage communication by rest of group; explain why you will not allow students to ’phone home. Do not name the casualty or give other than brief factual information to local media after liaising with the base contact

  7. Record in writing – nature, date and time of incident; location of incident; names of casualties and details of their injuries; names of others involved so that parents can be reassured; action taken so far; action yet to be taken (and by whom)

  8. No-one in the group should discuss legal liability with other parties, nor sign anything relating to accident liability without clear advice from their Governing Body

Media

It is very likely that there will be media attention.  It is much better to reply with ‘the headteacher will be making a statement to the media shortly – please contact the School’ than it is to reply ‘no comment’.

Some principles below:

Do

  • Express sympathy for those involved and their families

  • Give praise for those undertaking rescue/incident control

  • Promise full investigation/co-operation with other agencies

Do not

  • Reply to ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions

  • Name individuals – explain that names will not be released until next of kin have been informed

  • Say ‘no comment’ – explain why you cannot comment and state when an update will be provided and by whom and make sure this promise is kept

 

Important contact details – insert as appropriate for your trip

  • Supervising staff’s mobile numbers

  • Tour Company

  • Tour rep

  • Coach Company/Airline

  • Hotel

  • Insurance policy, claim and contact details

  • Medical Emergency Overseas  assistance if provided eg CEGA Emergency Assistance

  • British Consulate/Embassy / FCO helpline

  • Claims for loss/theft of property – report to police and obtain a crime reference number

  • Link to claims form

 

When informing your base contact they will require the following information; remember to agree a time and means of further contact

  • Time and date

  • Time at incident site if overseas

  • Contact name

  • Contact number

  • Contact mobile number

  • Contact e-mail

  • Contact location

  • Nature of incident

  • Time and date of incident

  • Brief description of incident

  • Location of incident

  • Names of individuals involved – confirm that the details you have at base-contact are correct

  • Current situation

  • Survivors

  • Fatalities

  • Hospitalised

  • Missing

  • Authorities involved: Police, Embassy if overseas

  • Agree time and means of further contact

  • Consult a copy of the School Critical Incident Policy for further guidance

  • INSERT YOUR CRITICAL INCIDENT TEAM CONTACT DETAILS

Featured image: Ian Taylor @carrier_lost / Unsplash

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