EOC Coordinator Manual

Running Your Event

• Attendee List
  Under "Coordinate" - "Upcoming Events", print off either the "Summ List" AND "Carpool List", OR just the "Dtl List". This will give you all the information you need, including who is willing to drive, who needs waivers, and contact/emergency contact information for everyone.
   
• Carpool
  
  What to bring to carpool:
  - Your "Carpool List" which will tell you who's willing to drive and who needs waivers.
  - Your "Summ List" (or "Dtl List" if you prefer) which will give you everyone's contact, and emergency contact information, which you should have with you.
  - OPTIONAL: Driving directions and/or maps to the event location.
  - OPTIONAL: A Ziploc bag to collect donations in.
  
  Managing Carpool:
  What do you do with a gaggle of folks lollygagging around at a carpool location? Here's a tried-and-true process that we've found works well for carpool management:
  1. Print off the Carpool List report (available from your "Upcoming Events" list under "Coordinate").
  2. Arrive at least 15 minutes early - some people show up early and the coordinator should be there so they know they're in the right place.
  3. Wait no longer than 10 minutes past meeting time for everyone to arrive (try to leave on time... only wait past your departure time in extenuating circumstances).
  4. Some people may offer voluntary donations when they arrive, but just before figuring out driving arrangements, ask folks for donations (for those who didn't cough up right away). Just say something like "Anyone else want to make a donation to the club today? I'll accept it right now."  Remember the donations are voluntary and just leave it at a simple one-time request and then forget about it. We don't keep track of who donated what.
  5. As people arrive, confirm your drivers (starting from the top of the list) and figure out how many people each can take. Split folks up according to your list - try to keep a good mix of regulars and newbies in each vehicle. Fill the vehicles up as much as possible... you may want to leave spare seats in one or two vehicles, but for the most part, fill 'em up!
  6. Calculate the total carpool cost using the "Carpool Calculations Cheat Sheet" in our "Files for Coordinators. Divide that amount by the number of people carpooling and collect that amount from every person. Split the amount equally among the vehicles and give the carpool amounts to the drivers.
  7. Make sure the drivers have directions to the trailhead.
  8. Be on your way.
  
  Last-Minute/Un-Announced Attendees:
  Occasionally you will have a member show up to an event (or carpool) without being signed up, or someone bringing a guest along that is not registered. These people should NOT be accepted on the event. We have a strict policy against this (see the Event Crashing Policy on our Rules page), and if you decide to allow it, please consider the following:
  1. If there's a waiting list for the event, it is not fair to the people left behind on the waiting list who are "following the rules".
  2. You do not have this person's emergency contact information on your list, and it is possible that you *may* be personally liable if something happens to this person on your event if they're not signed up on the web site.
  3. It sets a precedent for repeat incidents, not only with this person, but with others who witness them "getting away with it". It can foster a perception of the club allowing this "unfairly" and cause hard feelings among members.
  4. It could potentially leave us short on carpool spots.
  
   
• Waivers
  You are responsible for ensuring that all attendees have accepted the online waiver prior to the event. See Managing Upcoming Events for more information.
   
• During the Event
  • Before heading out on a hike (or whatever) it is a good idea to announce some expectations to the group. You may think some of these things are common sense, but common sense isn't as common as we might like it to be. Announce your route - where you're going, where you're planning on stopping for breaks (ie. lunch), if the trip is an out-and-back or a loop. Tell people to wait at all intersections for the rest of the group to catch up. We have had a few stressed-out coordinators (especially newbies) because they've had a speedy group take off on them. If you're in bear country, you may want to put yourself in the front and make everyone stay behind you to keep the group together, or put one of your slowest hikers in the front to set the pace and make everyone stay behind them while you stay in back to keep an eye out and make sure the group isn't splintering.
  • If you are organizing an out-of-town overnight event (e.g. in Nordegg), once your group has arrived at the hostel make sure to gather them together and explicitly ask that they behave responsibly. You should say something like "You are here with the EOC, you are not here with your buddies. You represent our club and we want to be able to keep coming to Nordegg (or Banff, Jasper, etc.). No weed, no drinking to excess, no selling things, and behave in a responsible manner."
  • Act as an Ambassador for the club. Make sure new members, especially those out for their first time, are included and made to feel welcome. Be available to answer questions and take suggestions (which can always be passed along to the appropriate club Officer)
  • Make any adhoc decisions to be made. Make sure decisions consider safety and enjoyment of all participants. Don’t alter the event - ie: don’t take attendees into dangerous territory or off-trail, don’t start an event more difficult than was stated in the overview without consent, etc.
  • Be aware of the medical concerns of those on the event, and don’t change the event to something more difficult at the last moment.
  • Ensure no one gets separated from the group. Watch for stragglers, don’t plow off ahead with no regard for those who may be of a lesser fitness level. Do an occasional headcount to make sure you still have your whole group.
  • Over-estimation of Membership Capabilities on Hiking Events. Occasionally you will have a situation in which a member's capabilities are not in sync with the difficulty ratings posted on an event. Please follow these guidelines for dealing with this situation to ensure that the events are as successful as possible:
    * Coordinators need to plan for group management. See our Safety Policy for more information about group management.
    * If there is a slower member(s) on a faster hike and vice versa, have a contingency plan in place - implement a "buddy system" if possible, especially if there is another coordinator on the hike who may be willing to assist with the varied paced members
    * Coordinator needs to clearly explain the difficulty level on the initial posting, specifically outlining the intensity of the event, even stating such things as: "don"t sign up if you can"t keep up" or "don"t sign up if you aren"t willing to hike at a slower pace"
    * Provide clear examples of the pace i.e. "hiking at a pace of 4 km per hour" or "hiking at a pace of 8 km per hour" are helpful to the member when reading the posting
    * Communicate at the onset of the event to reiterate the specifics regarding the pace of the hike, and the difficulty rating, as this gives the option to the members to self-select OUT of an event if they so choose at that time
    * Communication throughout the event may be necessary if a member(s) hasn"t been able to stay with the rest of the group i.e. let"s meet at the forked trail ahead or designated marker
    * Use the online feature of the NOTATION MECHANISM on a member"s account if they have attended an event with unmatched capabilities, this will flag the individual when they sign up for other events
  • During the event, be the "go to" person, if anyone has any questions or if there are any problems or injuries, etc. Remember to contact emergency teams at 911 or a park ranger, etc., if there are any injuries that need to be attended to. (Carry the appropriate emergency contact information on you during the event).
  
   
• Safety and Liability Reminder:
  Remember to always make safety a top priority. There's no need for us to be super paranoid about being sued, however, it’s still important to keep it in mind as a possibility and protect yourself accordingly.
  
  What does this mean to you? Well, remember that the EOC is a 100% volunteer-run organization but it is not a registered society and it does not carry any kind of insurance. The club is investigating options for getting insurance, but it is not easy (or cheap). There has never been a volunteer successfully sued in Canada, which is GREAT news, however, that doesn't mean that there wouldn't be legal fees associated with defending yourself if someone tried... and, being a volunteer won't protect you if you are found personally negligent. The EOC is not a legal entity and cannot be sued. If there's any suing to be done, the volunteer would be personally sued. Always consider safety and use your best judgment on events to protect yourself from personal liability with regards to negligence.
  
  In setting up our waiver, the club has done a tremendous amount of research into waivers and liability. Our waiver has been reviewed by a lawyer - twice - and received only minor feedback (we made some small changes). The lawyer advised that our waiver was very comprehensive and good quality, BUT, the waiver is only protection for situations in which the volunteer involved is not negligent. Our best protection, therefore, is to not behave in a negligent fashion. So what does that mean? We did a bunch of research into negligence as well, and of course, we’re dealing with the law so there are no simple answers. The question asked in order to determine the presence of negligence is 'What would a reasonable person do under the same circumstances?' That’s pretty open to interpretation and depends on who has the best lawyer arguing for them. But it is something for you to be aware of as that would be the yardstick used to determine if you are negligent in a situation where someone were to get hurt (or, heaven forbid, killed) on one of your events. Were your actions consistent with what a reasonable person would do in the same circumstances?
  
  So, don't let this turn you paranoid or overly cautious, but do make safety a priorty and use your best judgement. Your best protection is to use that grey stuff between your ears to make sure you're not doing something that is going to get someone hurt. Which none of us wants anyway, and not just to avoid being sued.
  
  See our Safety Policy for more information.
   
• First Aid
  Carry a first aid kit. Small kits and replenishment supplies will be provided by the club. Submit your receipt to the Treasurer to be reimbursed for any replenishment.
  It is good to have EOC volunteers with first aid training, but it is not required.