coastal Safety challenge Leaders notes

coastal Safety challenge Leaders notes

Leaders notes COASTAL SAFETY CHALLENGE INTRODUCTION The Scout Association is pleased to be working with The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to bring you the Coastal Safety Challenge. The challenge aims to give young people information about how to prepare for a day out on the coast, whether going to the beach or out cliff walking. You don t need to live near the coast to take part. We just want as many young people as possible to enjoy the activities and participate in our challenge which covers: Be prepared Hazards Keep safe Emergencies The challenge comprises two elements: a. finding information, carrying out research, identifying hazards and taking part in activities; and b. a competition, designing safety materials and completing a questionnaire. As part of the challenge, the MCA encourage Scouts to act as ambassadors and share their knowledge of beach and coastal safety. [2]

PRE AND POST PROJECT QUIZ When you start the project, you may like to ask your Scouts to fill in the questionnaire in the resource pack. They do not need to carry out any research to do so, just give answers to the best of their knowledge. They could do this in Patrols during your weekly meeting. Once your Troop has completed their questionnaires, we would be grateful if you could send them to Joanne Groenenberg at MCA. If you decide to enter the competition, please ask them to fill in another version of the questionnaire at the end of their project and send it in with their competition entry. This will help MCA to evaluate how much your Scouts have learned about coastal safety. Coastal safety activities All of these activities are designed to develop knowledge of the preparation needed in planning a trip to the coast. The information gained can then be used as a basis for the Coastal Safety Challenge competition entry. You may find it useful to download and distribute the coastal safety leaflet to your group at www.scouts.org.uk Information/research/identifying hazards/activities It is important that your Scouts check for weather, tide times and other coastal hazards such as mud, offshore winds or crumbling cliffs are some of the biggest hazards to check for before Scouts set out on a coastal visit. Every year the Coastguard deals with around 600 cases of people being cut off by the tide, as well as of people who have become disorientated in fog, stuck in mud, or are in need of assistance due to lack of planning. This section will help your Scouts to gain knowledge of what they need to check before setting out for the coast. [3]

Suggested activities: In a group, make a wall poster or model of a beach. Add potential hazards or things to look out for when visiting the coast. Either do this at your Scout meeting place or, if your group is based near or is visiting the coast, you could do this at the beach. This prepares Scouts for any subsequent visits to the coast either with their groups, or with family and friends. And/or Divide the Scouts into small groups and get them to role play the messages/hazards from cards given to them (see next page). [4]

And/or a. Cliff tops i. Stay away from the edges ii. Do not climb down or jump off into sea iii. Keep dogs on leads iv. Do not attempt self-rescue call the Coastguard b. Swimming i. Swim between flags on a lifeguarded beach if you can ii. Swim within your depth iii. Swim parallel to shore iv. If you get caught in a strong tide or current, raise your hand and shout for help c. Inflatable toys, lilos and boats i. If a strong wind is blowing offshore don t use them ii. If you do use one tie it to an adult who is in the water with you iii. If you are being swept out to sea on one don t try to swim to shore, call for help iv. Use between flags on a lifeguarded beach d. Rockpooling i. Check the tides and make sure that you don t get cut off ii Check the weather and conditions don t go out if it s rough iii. Always wear shoes iv. Take care with slippery rocks [5]

e. Keep in touch i. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to get back ii. Arrange a meeting place in case you get split up or lost iii. Take a mobile phone with you iv. In an emergency at the coast dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. You can also dial 112 if you are anywhere in the UK or in Europe. Once Scouts have completed one or both of these activities they may like to do one of the following, either at home or at your weekly meeting. They could add some extra details into their poster or model after they have done this. Look at the silhouettes in the Coastal Safety Challenge pack. What messages can they see? Discuss the weather in Patrols. Where would you get a weather forecast? What weather would you avoid when going out on the coast? For what type of weather conditions would you need to make special preparations? Scouts might discuss UK Hydrographic Office and other websites, TV and radio reports and bulleting forecasts from other places such as signs at the entrance to the beach or at their holiday accommodation. Weather to avoid might be fog, excessively wet or windy conditions. They could also discuss offshore winds and the dangers of being blown out to sea (on inflatable toys for example). Look at tidetables in patrols. Either use the tidetable and map in section 3 of the Scout resource sheet or use your own map and download a tidetable for that part of the coast at www.easytide.ukho.gov.uk [6]

Ask your patrols to look at the tide times for a particular beach and tell you when would be the best time to go for a hike along the beach and by what time they would need to be back. Ask them about what hazards they may need to consider if the tide is on its way back in. Scouts need to look at the times for high and low tides and compare them to hazards that they might find such as mud flats or rocky outcrops. An Ordnance Survey map would be useful here. Consider places where they might get additional information, such as the beach office, tourist information centre or local coastguard office. Tombstoning is a name given to jumping from high places such as cliffs, rocks or pier heads, into the sea for fun. It is always an unsupervised and unplanned activity. In the past five years the Coastguard has dealt with 12 tombstoning deaths and 42 tombstoning injuries. There are links on the MCA resource page. Discuss tombstoning. Why is it dangerous? What could Scouts do or say to prevent their friends from doing it? Accidents and other problems can happen, despite the very best of preparation so Scouts need to know who they should call for help. If they are out on the beach or anywhere on the coast, they should call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. Of course, if they are on a lifeguarded beach, then their first port of call is likely to be the lifeguard. If Scouts are near a lake, lough, loch or other inland waterway, they will need to ask for the police when calling 999, in most cases. However, the Coastguard does cover some inland waterways so look out for safety signs. You should encourage your Scouts, as part of their planning to tell someone at home where they are going and when they expect to get back. Now that your Troop has undertaken some of the activities perhaps they will go on a coastal walk so that they can put some of what they have learned into practice. However, even if you re not on the coast, your Scouts have probably carried out all of the work that is needed to prepare them for the Coastal Safety Challenge competition. [7]

Coastal Safety Challenge ANSWERS 1. List all the things that you will need to consider if you are planning a trip to the coast. Think about information that you will need to find and hazards that you may need to avoid. check weather and tides. plan route carefully including escape routes should weather change. is beach lifeguarded? Where is lifeguard station? Check local hazards - eg mud, crumbly cliffs. list of what to bring - eg suitable footwear, clothes for weather conditions, sunscreen, food and drink, towel, mobile phone, and so on. Tell someone at home where you are going and when you expect to return. 2. Look at these pictures. What do you think they are trying to tell you? a People on top of cliff - be careful near cliff edges. Can be crumbly or slippery when wet, stay on cliff paths, don t attempt self rescue for people or pets. Keep dogs on leads. Don t climb down. In an emergency call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. b a. Tombstoner - don t jump off rocks, cliffs or other structures into sea. You don t know what s under the water. Tidal conditions significantly change water depth. b. Inflatable boats/toys - dangerous at the seaside. They an easily float away from shore and in offshore wind will be swept out to sea rapidly. The Coastguard would prefer that you do not use them at all. But if you do, tether them to the shore or to a person standing in the water with you. Do not use them if there is on offshore wind. c 3. Look at this map and tidetable of a section of our coastline. When would be the best time to go for a hike along the beach? When would you need to be back? What hazards might you need to consider if the tide was on its way back in? bear in mind tides, weather, darkness: Tues 1.30-4.30pm; Weds 2.30-5.30pm; Thurs 2.30-5.30pm; Fri 2.30-3.30pm; Sat 2.30-5.30pm; Sun 2.30-5.30pm; Mon 2.30-5.30pm Be back by 5.30pm due to tide and darkness To be aware of: slippery rocks; rocks falling from cliffs; sand; tide; sea. [8]

The Coastal Safety Challenge competition WIN 500 Once the Scouts have carried out some of the suggested activities, they will have the opportunity to win 500 if they enter the Coastal Safety Challenge competition. The aim of the competition is to get Scouts to consider how they can communicate with other young people about how to prepare for their trip to the coast, avoid hazards and know how to call for help in an emergency. Please ask your Scouts to produce materials which they think will communicate coastal safety to other young people. They can do this either individually or together in Patrols. The material(s) they create might, for example be a film, presentation, leaflet and poster or radio advert. The deadline for entries is 31 March 2012. The winning entry will receive 500 towards an adventure of their choice. Please send to Sally Hilton at sally.hilton@scouts.org.uk or post to Sally Hilton, The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Chingford,London, E4 7QW. [9] Designed and produced by Highways Agency Media Services, Dorking S100309