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Description

18. Identify 5 Safety Precautions you must take when heading out onto the hills

Resources

 Pens
 Paper
Optional:
 Leaflets or online resources regarding safety in the hills

Instructions

Introduction
In order to really enjoy any outdoor activity, it is important to make sure that all participants are kept safe. SB should be beginning to take responsibility for their own safety by taking note of important safety precautions before an activity. This choice challenge is a good stepping stone to Outdoors Choice Challenge 10 which involves completing a full risk assessment for an activity.

Instructions
This can be carried out by means of a group brainstorm and discussion. Alternatively SB could invite an expert from a local hillwalking or mountaineering club to attend their meeting to go through the topic with them. There are lots of online guides with advice also which SB could research in advance of the meeting to add to their discussions.

There are a lot more than 5 Safety Precautions to consider, encourage the girls to think of as many as possible, group together similar ones and then come up with 5 key points. These could be made into a poster for your meeting place for future reference.

Debrief/Discussion
Some key points which might be mentioned:
Preparation and route planning – know your route, have a map, estimate how long the route will take and tell someone of your plans.
Clothing and footwear – layers to regulate temperature and protection against rain, appropriate footwear.
Food and water – bring additional snacks to keep energy levels up, and enough water to complete the journey
Group ability – ensure the group is fit enough for the challenge, and that they have the mapreading skills, some routes stay on paths while other involve navigating across open terrain.
Dealing with emergencies – know how to use first aid supplies and how to summon help if needed.

Acknowledgement/Sources
Mountaineering Ireland’s Walk Safely Leaflet, available at:
http://www.mountaineering.ie/_files/Walk%20Safely%20-%20A4%20final.pdf

Tags

• Branch Weekend 2018
• Hike
• Hiking
• Hill walking
• outdoor safety
• outdoor safety code
• safety outdoors

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