How to Run a Safe Camp in an Indigenous Community: A Complete Guide
BY 3-FIRES TRAINING · CAMP MANAGEMENT · 12 MIN READ
Running a camp or outdoor program in an Indigenous community is one of the most powerful things you can do for your people. It builds confidence, connection, culture, and community. But it also carries responsibility — a duty of care that every leader, coordinator, and staff member must understand before opening day. This guide covers what you need to know.
Before You Open the Gate: Pre-Camp Planning
A safe camp begins weeks before participants arrive. The planning phase is where most preventable accidents and incidents originate — not in the field, but in the gaps left during preparation. Solid pre-camp planning is non-negotiable.
Establish Your Chain of Command
Every person on your team must know who is in charge, who to report to in an emergency, and who holds decision-making authority. This is not about hierarchy for its own sake — it is about eliminating the dangerous confusion that happens when something goes wrong and no one knows who makes the call. Document your chain of command and review it at staff orientation.
The CYFSA identifies several categories of harm that may trigger a duty to report:
-
Physical harm — a child has been, or is at risk of being, physically harmed by the actions or inactions of a parent or caregiver
-
Sexual abuse or exploitation — a child has been, or is at risk of being, sexually molested, exploited, or exposed to harmful sexual content
-
Emotional harm — a child has suffered, or is at substantial risk of suffering, serious emotional or psychological harm caused by the actions or inactions of a parent or caregiver
-
Neglect — a child's physical needs (food, shelter, clothing, medical care) are not being met, or a child is being left without proper supervision
-
A child in the home — if a child lives in a home where domestic violence is occurring, this may also trigger a reporting obligation
Conduct a Site Safety Inspection
Before participants arrive, walk your entire program site with a safety checklist. Look for:
-
Trip and fall hazards — uneven ground, exposed roots, broken steps, unstable structures
-
Water access points — ponds, rivers, lakefronts, drainage areas
-
Fire hazards — burn bans, fire pit conditions, dry brush near structures
-
First aid kit locations and contents — kits must be stocked, accessible, and known to all staff
-
Shelter and weather response — where do participants go in a storm?
-
Vehicle and equipment condition — are transport vehicles roadworthy and insured?
Pro tip: Download the free 3-Fires Site Safety Checklist from our Resources section. It was built specifically for Indigenous camp and program settings and covers every item above and more.
Staff Ratios — Know the Rules
Staff-to-participant ratios exist because one person cannot safely supervise an unlimited number of people — especially near water, in remote settings, or in programs serving participants with complex needs. The following are minimum ratio guidelines. Your program may require higher ratios depending on the activity and participant needs.
Age Group | Minimum Ratio - Land | Minimum Ratio - Water |
|---|---|---|
Under 6 years | 1 staff : 5 participants | 1 staff : 3 participants |
6 – 8 years | 1 staff : 8 participants | 1 staff : 5 participants |
9 – 12 years | 1 staff : 10 participants | 1 staff : 8 participants |
13 – 17 years | 1 staff : 12 participants | 1 staff : 10 participants |
Adults / Mixed | 1 staff : 15 participants | 1 staff : 10 participants |
Important: ratios must be maintained at all times — including during transitions, meals, and rest periods. A ratio is not a goal for ideal moments; it is a constant requirement.
Water Safety — The Highest Risk Area
Water activities carry the highest risk of fatality in any camp or outdoor program. Drowning can occur in seconds, in shallow water, and without warning. If your program involves any water — a lake, river, pond, pool, or waterfront — the following standards apply without exception.
Certified Lifeguard Coverage
Any swimming or waterfront activity must be supervised by a National Lifeguard (NLS) certified lifeguard — not just a strong swimmer, not just an adult with first aid, and not just a counsellor who is comfortable in water. A certified NLS lifeguard. This is a legal requirement in Ontario, and a professional obligation everywhere.
3-Fires offers a 4-day intensive National Lifeguard certification program specifically for Indigenous community staff. Candidates must hold Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross prior to enrollment.
Buddy System
Every participant in or near water must be assigned a buddy. Buddies check in with each other at regular intervals called by the lifeguard. The buddy check is non-negotiable — it is the single most effective tool for identifying a missing swimmer quickly.
Swim Tests and Wristbands
Conduct a swim assessment for every participant before any waterfront activity. Assign coloured wristbands that correspond to swimming ability and establish clear zones where each colour is permitted. Non-swimmers remain in shallow water with direct lifeguard supervision at all times.
Weather Monitoring
Assign someone specifically to monitor weather conditions throughout the day. Have a clear protocol for getting participants out of the water before a storm arrives — not when you can hear thunder, but when conditions begin to change. Lightning near open water is immediately life-threatening.
Health Protocols
Your health plan should be written, distributed to all staff before camp begins, and reviewed at orientation. It must address the following at minimum:
Medical Information Collection
Collect a health form for every participant that includes: known allergies (especially anaphylaxis), current medications and dosage instructions, relevant medical conditions, emergency contact information, and health coverage or status. This information must be kept confidential and accessible to the program lead and first aider at all times.
Medication Administration
If your program administers participant medications, establish a locked medication storage system, a log for every medication given, and a designated trained staff member responsible for administration. Never leave medications in general storage where participants can access them.
Anaphylaxis Response Plan
If any participant has a known severe allergy, your entire staff team must know: where the EpiPen is stored, how to administer it, when to call 911, and what to do while waiting for emergency services. Practice this scenario before camp begins.
Illness and Isolation Protocol
Have a clear process for when a participant or staff member becomes ill during a program. Where do they go? Who contacts the family? At what point is emergency care required? Write it down. Post it where staff can find it.
Emergency Planning
Every camp and program must have a written Emergency Response Plan (ERP). This is not a document you create after something goes wrong — it must exist and be known to your team before the first participant arrives.
Your Emergency Response Plan must include:
-
Emergency contact list — 911, local hospital, nearest clinic, band office, program director
-
Location of the nearest hospital and the fastest route from your site
-
Evacuation routes and assembly points for your site
-
Roles and responsibilities in an emergency — who calls 911, who stays with participants, who meets the ambulance
-
Missing participant protocol — how long before you initiate a search, who you call, what you document
-
Severe weather protocol — where participants shelter, who gives the all-clear
-
Fire response protocol — evacuation, headcount, who contacts emergency services
Your Emergency Response Plan is a living document. Review and update it every season. Walk your staff through it at orientation. Practice it — a drill done before an emergency is the difference between a calm response and chaos.
Cultural Protocols
A camp or program run in an Indigenous community is not simply a western-model program delivered to Indigenous participants. It is an expression of your community's values, knowledge, and ways of being. Cultural protocols are not optional additions to your program — they are the foundation of it.
Open and Close with Intention
Begin each program day with an acknowledgement of the land and, where appropriate, a smudge, a prayer, or a moment of grounding in your community's tradition. Close the day the same way. This sets the tone, honours the space, and reminds staff and participants alike why they are here.
Elder and Knowledge Keeper Involvement
Where possible, involve Elders or Knowledge Keepers in your program — not as a token gesture, but as genuine contributors to the learning. The knowledge they carry has been maintained through generations. Create space for it.
Language
If your community's language is part of the program, integrate it with intention — not as performance, but as living practice. Even a few words of greeting, of thanks, of closing each day, send a powerful message to participants about who they are and where they come from.
Cultural Safety for Staff
Your staff team should understand and respect the cultural context of the program they are delivering. If you have non-Indigenous staff or staff from outside your specific community, provide cultural orientation before the program begins — not to make anyone an expert, but to ensure everyone is grounded in respect.
Incident Reporting
Every incident — no matter how minor it seems at the time — must be documented. This includes injuries, near-misses, behavioural incidents, medication errors, missing persons, and any situation that required emergency response. Document: what happened, when, who was involved, what action was taken, and what follow-up is required.
Your incident documentation protects your community, your staff, and your participants. It also builds the evidence base that helps you prevent the same incident from happening again.
A note on accountability: There is no hierarchy in safety. The volunteer and the Director carry the same responsibility to follow safe protocols, to report incidents honestly, and to put participant well-being above all else. The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.
Your Community Deserves a Rigorous Program
The communities we serve have faced more than enough harm from systems that did not take their well-being seriously. Your camp or program has the opportunity to be different — to model what it looks like when Indigenous-led programs meet the highest professional standards without compromising a single element of cultural identity.
That is not a low bar. That is the standard we hold ourselves to at 3-Fires, and it is the standard we train for.