We are less than 2 days away from camp! I know there are obvious concerns about the air quality statement and as such we will be updating our Emergency Response Plan.
We will adhering to the Scouts Canada guidelines (please see links below) and the following procedure:
- Hourly monitoring: http://www.airqualityontario.com/aqhi/today.php?sites=44029
- We will keep the camp and activity leaders informed as the day changes.
- The current air quality index will be posted.
- If the Air Quality Index is:
- 1-3 GO All operations as normal
- 4-6 MONITOR (emphasize breaks and hydration)
- 7-10 REDUCE physical exertion at activities, mandatory rest times and hydration break
- 10+ STOP all activities, return to site
- If at a high level early in the day, possibly shift schedule and extend lunch break. The trend looks to be that air quality is the worst from lunch to dinner.
- If extreme, vacate camp Saturday night to reduce exposure.
For activities being brought to camp, please have an alternative version ready with lower physical exertion (no running etc.) or a different activity altogether.
This is an evolving situation, and we will need to stay on our toes. Environment Canada also recommends N95 or similar masks. We will leave this up to individuals to decide based on their comfort. All Scouters will need to keep a close eye on their youth and each other, if you notice irritation or abnormal coughing you should rest.
https://www.scouts.ca/safety/air-quality-safety.html
https://scoutsca.s3.amazonaws.com/2022/04/air_quality-safety-guidelines.pdf
https://scoutsca.s3.amazonaws.com/2022/04/air-quality-safety-infographic.pdf