About COP - Leadership Training

TRAINING Leader Training Includes Risk Management, Paperwork & COP Policies, Trip Planning, Participant Screening, and Leadership. Questions: office@outdoor-pursuits.org or 614/ 442-7901. Currently, no Leader Training Classes are scheduled.

FIRST AID "Wilderness First Aid", "Wilderness First Responder"and "Red Cross First Aid and CPR Classes"  are scheduled periodically for the benefit of our leaders and members. Wilderness First Responder Class Saturday - Monday January 16-18 (Martin Luther King Day Weekend) Saturday and Sunday, January 30-31 Saturday - Monday, February 13-15 Presidents Day Weekend. The minimum standard for outdoor professionals, this 80 hour advanced first aid class is for people who get more than an hour away from definitive care.  Information and registration form in the November 2009 issue of Columbus Outdoors, page 5. Ann Gerckens  volunteer_ann@sbcglobal.net  614/282-2781.   Wilderness First Aid March 20th and 21, 2010 16 hour first aid class for people who travel more than one hour from definitive care.  Registration information and form will be in a future issue of Columbus Outdoors. Feb wfr recerts ok.  Information and registration form in the January 2010 issue of Columbus Outdoors, page 5. Jennifer Thurmond    wwaterjen@yahoo.com  614/890-6269. Red Cross CPR & First Aid Classes are not currently scheduled.

COP Leader Forms Liability Waiver & Release (Legal Size 8.5'x14') Liability Waiver & Release (Regular Size 8.5'x11') Incident Report Form                         Incident Follow up form Payorder Form                                    chart of accounts for payorders and deposit slips Trip Report Form                               Info for Event Leaders

Becoming a COP Leader There are many rewards to leading a COP trip, including getting to choose when and where the trip goes, meeting new friends, having some of your expenses paid, and the warm feeling of knowing that you are giving back to the outdoor community. We do have some requirements for our leaders, including that they: Be a member of COP Support the mission of COP Have the appropriate skill level for the activity, or have a co-leader with those skills Read the COP Trip Leadership Manual Be trained in first aid to the degree appropriate to the activity, or have someone on the trip with appropriate training Have a signed Liability Release from each tripper AND return it and all trip related paperwork to your activity, c/o COP office within 30 days Use the Incident Report Form when needed Do not accept or place guilt at time of occurrence Follow up with injured trippers, and use the Occurrence Follow-up Form Ensure that all participants are equipped with the necessary safety gear / equipment as described in the Activity Guidelines Implement mandatory helmet use policy on bicycle and whitewater trips Meet specific activity leadership requirements if they exist COP Trip Leadership Training is highly recommended for day trips, and required for overnight trips. You are responsible for knowing the information covered by the class even if you do not take the class. At a minimum, all Columbus Outdoor Pursuits leadership training covers the risk management and safety content of the manual, plus the paperwork section. The current training program consists of five elements: Risk Management, Paperwork, Trip Planning, Participant Screening, and Leadership. This is offered by way of a one, full day class that covers all five elements or through a series of evening workshops. Each evening workshop covers one topic. Members may take the Risk Management and Paperwork modules by attending the morning session of a full day training. For particular details about leading for an activity, contact the activity chair. You will find their contact information at the beginning of the schedule section in this newsletter.

Leadership Corner  by Sharon Hsu Top 10 Reasons to Become a Trip Leader for COP Okay, Okay . . . you keep hearing about COP needing leaders, COP offering leadership training, articles in the newsletter about how to lead trips, meetings about paperwork, risk management, etc. But, none of these articles or meetings may answer the fundamental question you have: WHY should I become a leader?? Although there are many, many answers to this question, here are just a few: 10- You get to go where YOU want to go. Have you ever been on a trip (recently, or even when you were a kid with the family), and you thought, "Why can't we hike that trail?", "Why can't we paddle this river?", "Why can't we go there? I wanna go THERE!!!". Well, when you lead your own trip, you can decide where to go. Ever want to paddle a beautiful, quiet river in Minnesota? Lead a trip there! Ever want to backpack a dramatic ridge on the Appalachian Trail that you read in Outside Magazine? Lead a trip there! 9 - You get to go when YOU want to go. So you love biking by the farms of Madison County and eating at the Dutch Kitchen, but have to work on Saturdays. Well, you can lead your own trip anytime you want - go on Wednesday! Think those boaters are crazy for scheduling local boating trips in March (when the water is still icy)?? Then lead a trip when it's warmer. When you lead your own trip, you don't have to worry about juggling your schedule to fit another's (unless you want to, of course). You can go when you want. 8 - You get to do what YOU want to do. Do you enjoy many activities, but find that many trips only focus on one? For instance, if you're paddling down a river that's right next to a bike trail, you can lead a "pedal & paddle" trip! Do you like to hike with your kids, but all the trips you find are too long or strenuous for them to keep up? Then you can lead a kid-friendly hiking trip. You can do what you want (as long as it's legal, of course) when you lead your own trip -- one activity or many activities, cook or eat out, bike hills or bike flat, Class I rapids or Class V rapids, kids or no kids - it's up to you! 7 - You have company to go with you. Hey, just because your husband and all your friends think you're crazy for crawling around a dark, muddy hole in the ground doesn't mean that you have to cave alone. Actually, for many of our activities, it's better that you don't participate in them alone. Also, certain areas (e.g., Okefenokee Swamp) require a minimum party size for various permits. Furthermore, it's often helpful (very helpful) logistically if you have several people and/or multiple vehicles Ð for instance, boating or hiking shuttles! 6 - You get to meet new people who are interested in the same activities. One of the best benefits of leading a trip, versus just going on a personal trip, is that you get a wonderful opportunity to meet new people who are interested in the same activities. You can meet people who like to ride lots of miles on their bikes at really high speeds. You can meet people who enjoy a walk in the woods as much as you do. You can also meet people who find as much contentment sharing stories by a campfire as they do paddling through a Class IV rapid. 5 - You can go to places and/or experience activities that you normally wouldn't or couldn't. So you keep reading about this great river down south and want to go, but the difficulty of the river is just at your limit, and you know that you wouldn't be able to safely handle a group and don't want to go alone. Many times, if you are willing assume the administrative skills of leading a trip, a more experienced tripper will help out with the more technical aspects of the trip. This can allow you to explore more remote areas of the Smoky Mountains or even allow you to take a longer sea kayaking trip. 4 - You can get a free trip. That's right - you could get a free trip! According to COP rules, trip leaders can charge each participant up to 10% more than the cost of each person's share of the trip expenses to cover the leader's share. Basically, if you have 10 trippers and charge each of them 10% above the trip expenses (e.g., transportation, camping fees, food, etc.), you can get your trip for free! Realize, however, you can not make money on trips (e.g., you can't charge the extra 10% for 20 trippers and wind up with more money than you would have spent on the trip. In this case, you can only charge up to 5% extra for each tripper to cover your expenses). This one of COP's way of encouraging leadership. It's also a way of going to places and participating in activities that you could not otherwise afford. 3 - You can help develop skills in yourself and others. By becoming a trip leader, you develop your own leadership skills. For instance, you can learn about group dynamics, decision-making, and trip planning. You also have the opportunity to develop skills in others. You can help guide someone's decision to spend the money on a GOOD tent, instead of a tempting $30 tent. You can help someone understand the dynamics of surfing a wave hole. You can help someone ride longer by showing them how to draft safely. 2 - You help support the spirit of volunteerism. Have you been on a COP trip? Or taken a COP school? Someone took the time and energy to lead that trip or direct/instruct at that school. COP is a volunteer, participatory organization that runs upon the strength and energy of all its outdoor family members. When you lead a trip, you help make our family stronger by providing more outdoor opportunities for more people. Furthermore, you help reward the people who lead the trips you went on before by giving them a trip to go on that they don't have to lead. 1 - and the number one reason: WITHOUT TRIP LEADERS, THERE ARE NO TRIPS!  It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Leadership Corner ON PLANNING AND LEADING A TRIP Part 1 of 2 By David Seslar Any trip requires a leader. The trip leader creates the trip by deciding when and where to go, getting the trip into the schedule, taking the seemingly endless phone calls, et cetera, et cetera. WITHOUT TRIP LEADERS THERE ARE NO TRIPS. Many people quail at the thought of leading trips. (Many trip leaders also quail at the thought of leading trips, but that’s another story.) A great void appears to yawn before them - what all needs to be done and how will I ever get it done? This article tries to give the new trip leader an idea of what needs to be done, a framework to follow when planning a trip. Because I usually lead boating trips these days, the examples given here are mostly oriented towards boating but the general principles and tasks are similar for many types of trips. There are two kinds of trip leaders (actually there are lots of kinds, but I’m chopping them into two piles). A ‘Type A’ trip leader is the best and strongest boater or backpacker, has been everywhere and done every river and trail and all kinds of trips. ‘Type A’ has a huge trip vehicle, is a superb group cook, has nothing to do before the trip but plan and take phone calls, can handle all sorts of medical emergencies requiring less than 4 pints of blood, and can build a boat, backpack or litter in the field with nothing more than a dull spoon and 5 feet of duct tape. ‘Type A’ often ends up doing everything, getting little help and having little fun. A ‘Type R’ trip leader on the other hand takes a much more relaxed approach. ‘Type R’ realizes that it’s not necessary to be the best or the strongest or the most knowledgeable person on the trip. Instead the trip leader should be an administrator, investigating and organizing the strengths and abilities of all the people on the trip, making sure things get taken care of but not doing everything himself. Many people are happy to help and will do a great deal to help the trip, especially if you put YOUR name, number and e-mail address in the newsletter schedule. You as a trip leader don’t have to and aren’t expected to do everything yourself. Don’t be shy: ask people for a bit of help. You can lead trips to places you’ve never been, rivers and trails you’ve never done or doing things you have limited skills in, with the assistance of others. But someone needs to get the ball rolling and that someone could be you. The first thing to decide as trip leader is where and when to go. This can a bit fickle for many kinds of trips since seasons and weather can dictate what is reasonable or possible to ski or hike or paddle. Many rivers are too low to paddle in the summer unless you’re there when it’s raining. High water in spring may leave trail river crossings impassable. Four inches of snow could be too little to ski and too much to bike. So, once you’ve picked your when, be a bit flexible about what you paddle or hike or do. There’s almost always something to do similar to what you’d planned. Where to go?! So many places, so little time. One of the easiest ways to lead your first trips is to go to places, trails and rivers you’ve been to before. You know what the river or trail is like, maybe you remember how to get to the trailhead or how to drive from the put-in to the river’s take-out. For places you haven’t been to or if you don’t remember the details (perhaps you slept all the way to the put-in last time), ask other people who have been there for details, or consult guidebooks. Guidebooks can provide a vast amount of information for trails, rivers and coasts almost anywhere you want to go. Any worthy outdoor shop will carry some, all backpacking and boating catalogs carry books on many areas. Area libraries have a limited selection of guidebooks and some C.O.P. activities have a small library of books. Many outdoor magazines such as Backpacker, Outside, Paddler, or Canoe and Kayak have articles on places to go with good resource information. If you have internet access, there are many commercial, club, government and personal web pages with useful information - try your public library for internet access if you don’t have other means. Many of the most active backpackers and boaters have libraries of their own covering many areas of the country that you might be able to look at to plan your trip. However, if you’re planning a long trip or use someone’s book more than a couple times, it’s probably time to get your own. Maps are also an important resource. Topographic maps, state and county road maps, river and lake maps, coastal charts, all may be important. There many sources - map stores, book stores, catalogs, USGS, ODNR, and other state and federal agencies can be sources. One of the most useful types of map publications is the statewide county atlas available for many states. DeLorme seems to publish the best ones. Now that you’ve decided when and where to go, you need to advertise to attract people for your trip. Typically this is done through the Trip Schedule in middle of the Columbus Outdoors newsletter. This means you need to notify the activity leader or the activity scheduling coordinator by the end of the month at least two months in advance of your trip because of newsletter lead times. Ask the activity leader who their coordinator is. The trip may also appear on the C.O.P. website in the activity’s schedule listings. This assumes that you already have the permission of the activity leader to lead the trip either on your own or with an approved co-leader. If you are leading a C.O.P. trip that is a week long or longer, you also must have the permission of the C.O.P. Board of Directors. This is done through the activity leader during the monthly board meeting, and should be done a couple months in advance of the trip. If you have the support of the activity leader, usually this will be mostly a formality since the activity leader will have made sure you have covered all of the bases. The Board does prefer that you’ve taken the C.O.P. Leadership class and that someone on the trip has some first aid training. The activity leader should make sure you have the appropriate forms for the trip - liability waiver, incident report form, deposit form, etc. Don’t know what to do with all of the forms? The leadership class will help you with all of that and more! Sign up today! Available in one-day and modular form! To be continued next month. ... WITHOUT  TRIP  LEADERS  THERE  ARE  NO  TRIPS ...

Paperchase: Leading a trip for COP Columbus Outdoor Pursuits is a volunteer organization. We depend on everyone to pitch in and help out towards running out programs. Often, though, it’s a bit hard to make the leap from being a trip participant to being a trip leader. The following information has been written down in an effort to demystify the paperwork aspect of leading trips for Columbus Outdoor Pursuits. I doubt that there will be room for the entire article in one newsletter, so keep an eye out for continuations in the next few newsletters. If you can’t wait that long, please send a SASE to the office with a request for the COP Paperchase article. The paperwork breaks down into three basic sections: (1) before the trip, (2) during the trip, and (3) after the trip. Before the trip 1. Decide you want to lead a trip. You do not necessarily have to be an expert in the activity. If you are not, line up an experienced person to be your "river boss", "trail boss", mentor, whatever. In other words, you take care of the planning, arrangements, equipment if needed, taking phone calls, screening participants and signing them up. Your experienced person provides the expertise, rescue skills if needed, advise on how to handle situations, and takes charge if there is an emergency that you are not able to handle. The Requirements for Trip Leaders with Columbus Outdoor Pursuits are as follows: Be a member of COP Support the mission of COP Read the Activity Leadership Manual Have the appropriate skill level for the activity or find someone who is, as outlined above Have a signed Liability Release from each tripper Be trained in first aid to the degree appropriate to the activity, or have someone on the trip that is Use the Occurrence Report Form when needed Do not accept or place guilt at time of occurrence Follow up with injured trippers, and use the Occurrence Follow-up Form Bicycle leaders: implement mandatory helmet use policy 2. Clear the trip with your Activity Leader. If you are not an experienced leader, be sure to tell the activity leader about your plans, experience, qualifications and that of the person you’ve lined up to help you if you are not an expert. Your activity leader can also help you find such a person if you need one. Activity Leaders are listed at the beginning of the trip schedule in each newsletter. 3. Read/review the Activity Leader Manual if you are not familiar with it. Your Activity Leader should be able to provide you with a copy. 4. COP Leadership training is advisable for all leaders. If the trip involves an overnight, it is required. Your Activity Leader can give you a private training if there is no scheduled training in the near future. (Leadership training is given by COP leaders and is usually held in February or March.) 5. If your trip involves more than 4 overnights, it must be cleared by the Board before it goes to the newsletter. For example, if the trip is a 5-day, 4-night trip in May, it must go to the Board meeting the 1st Thursday in March; remind your activity leader to do this. You also must have been to Leadership Training or have a co-leader who has. 6. List your trip in the newsletter, by sending the information to the newsletter via email, at editor (AT) outdoor-pursuits.org, or by mailing to the office, no later that than the 1st of the month previous to the month you want the trip to appear. For example, the deadline for the June newsletter in May 1st. The information needs to include: day(s) of week, date (including the month), the activity, title for listing (New Albany Walk, Cumberland Gap Backpack, Worthington Ride, etc.) Some information about the trip, usually starting point and time, distance, difficulty, prerequisites and cost, name of leader, phone number, email if you wish. If you are emailing the info, be sure to copy your activity leader. Specify which newsletters this listing is for. You will need to announce, at the time a trip is listed, the refund policy on deposits if deposits are required. You will also need to establish a date beyond which deposits are non-refundable. Do you want to write an article for the newsletter pushing the trip? If so, the article needs to be sent to the newsletter editor, preferably by e-mail at the address above, or to PO Box 14384, Columbus OH 43214-0384 by the 1st of the month prior to the month you want it to appear. On the trip 7 .At the start of the trip: Check for Membership Cards. Charge anyone who does not have a card $2.00 per day non-member fee. Our overhead costs are $2.00 per person per day so it is important that non-members help with the cost. Failing to do this devalues our membership and adds to the amount of money we need to fundraise. Usually, if you sign the liability release first and include your membership number, everyone else will follow suit or volunteer that they forgot the card or are not a member, saving you from having to figure out who's a member and who isn't. Have trippers read and sign the liability release. Double check that all trippers have done so. You will occasionally have someone who puts "911" in the emergency contact number spot. Explain that you already know to call 911, who do they want you to call if they are seriously injured? Do a group orientation, including: A description of the program, focusing on the difficulty level of the program Appropriate warnings (cross railroad tracks at 90’, bearhang the food, etc.) Identification of regrouping points and food/water availability (wait at the next turn, top of the hill, etc.) Discussion of relevant laws, safety standards and activity protocol Check list for gear and supplies Instructions for reporting any injuries to persons or properties Appropriate maps/information Hint: put the names and phone numbers of the activity leader, president and risk manager on your trip form/liability release. If yours is an activity where participants get really spread out, like in bicycling, put something on the maps about "in case of accident, call ......". Identification of a resource person who will be able to answer questions. Usually you, but sometimes the more experienced person you roped into helping you.   8.  You will need to carry with you: Emergency contacts for each participant (on your liability release) Emergency contacts for COP (activity leader, and Risk Management officer. Currently, these are Tammy Dutro, Risk Management Coordinator, 846-1380, and Glenn Beachy, President, 268-4904 The Occurrence Report and Follow-up forms Participant Releases Participants should know where to find this information in case you are incapacitated. 9. If there should be some sort of incidence on the trip be it major or minor, fill out an Occurrence Report (sometimes referred to as Incident Report). Attach this to your liability release. After the trip 10. Turn in the pink copy of the deposit slip to your Activity Leader, along with the trip Report/Liability Release and any incidence reports filled out. Currently, this is all sent to the office and the leader picks it up quarterly. Therefore, it is important to call your Activity leader if there is anything unusual/time sensitive included. Send receipts and accounting for cash advances to the treasurer along with payorders for any bills outstanding. This is due within one month of the last day of the trip. 11. Follow up on any occurrences/incidents. Call the person(s) involved to check on how they are doing and how we can help. Document your call. Keep the Risk Manager (Tammy Dutro) up to date on the situation. 12. Write a story for the newsletter and send it to the newsletter editor. (optional) 13. Deposit any COP funds collected using a COP Deposit Ticket. Make your deposit at the night deposit, using a standard Huntington Bank envelope. Be sure to check off that you want a receipt, label the envelope with the COP Address, PO Box 14384, Columbus OH 43214 and include both the white and canary yellow copies of the deposit ticket. If you don’t include the yellow copy and check off that a receipt is requested, it will cost COP $5.00 to get a copy of the paperwork. If you have only a few dollars of non-member fees, you may mail it to the office with your release. Be sure to mark the outside of the envelope Attn: Office Manager, otherwise it may sit unopened for 3 months until the Activity Leader collects its for their quarterly report. The deposit ticket needs to contain a breakdown of the money collected, this is done under 'COP ACCOUNTS'. The IRS column (3digit#on new forms) tells the treasurer what the money if for (400 for general trip and non-member fees, 410 for equipment rental, 420 for any sales, 460 for donations). You must collect tax on any sales or rentals. The current rate is 6.75%. Include the tax with the sale price in 420. The bookkeeping system will back it out). The COP column (2digit# on new forms) refers to the activity (i.e. 55 for backpacking, 41 for boating, 10 for bicycling, 50 for hiking etc.) A breakdown of Account Numbers is available from the office. 14. If you are leading a special event, you will need to deal with Payorders. A payorder must be filed in order to be reimbursed or to have checks cut for your vendors. The account numbers run much the same as the deposit ticket. First comes the IRS number (3digit#on new forms) which tells the treasurer what category the money is coming from, i.e. 890-trip supplies, including food, 850-printing, 670 facility rent etc.) and then the COP number (2digit# on new forms, which activity budget the money is coming from). The payorder must have receipts attached, or mileage info. filled in. If it is for a cash advance, it needs to have the payees social security number on it. The payorder must be signed by the activity leader and mailed to the office. The Bookkeeper and Treasurer are normally in once a week, but sometimes they are sick or out of town, therefore you need to send your payorder at least a week before you need the actual check. Where to get all this paperwork? Officially, from your activity leader. A group of volunteers has been mailing much of this to leaders listed the in the newsletter the past 2 years. If you don’t receive it, you can Call or email your activity leader Call or email the office and have it mailed 442-7901, emailing to office (AT) outdoor-pursuits.org is preferred. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------  There is a wooden box on Charlie Pace's porch. This is at 629 Dennison Avenue, just north of Goodale Blvd. Take the Neil Avenue exit off I-670, go 1 block north of Goodale, turn right, then right again onto Dennison and look for a place to park. The easy out is the Goodale Park parking lot on the left. Help yourself to needed paperwork but please do not disturb Charlie. If supplies are low, call or email the office to let us know. Due to the public nature of the porch, there will not be a place for items that need to be sent to the office or for deposit tickets. You will need to mail that to COP, PO Box 14384, Columbus OH 43214-0384 We hope to see your name in the schedule section of the newsletter soon. Ann Gerckens Contacts and Phone Numbers - Modified 02/27/04

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